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Technical terms for writing about poetry

Stanza is the proper word for a verse. A couplet is a two-line stanza A triplet is a three-line stanza. A quatrain is a four-line stanza. Alliteration is the repetition of consonants. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds. Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it means. Caesura is a pause in mid-line, often with commas. Enjambment helps emphasize meaning by extending a sentence from one line of poetry into the next one. Rhythm is the arrangement of words alternating stressed and unstressed elements. Simile is a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with 'like' or 'as'). Metaphor is a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance by comparison not using like or as. Syntax is the order of words. Pace is how quick/slow/clunky/graceful the words actually sound. Tone is what feeling the words are spoken with (e.g. anger, happiness, fear, etc...). A dramatic monolo

Different types of poem

There are different types or forms of poems. Different structures and styles are chosen for different kinds of poem: Ballads have a regular rhythm and are usually in four-line verses. They usually tell an epic or dramatic story, and often have a chorus. Elegies are written for someone who has died, and is usually quite a slow, thoughtful poem. Sonnets are usually 14 lines long, with a regular scheme. Popular with Shakespeare himself, and many other traditional writers. Free verse has lines of irregular length that do not have to rhyme. Some poets think it's more like the way people talk, while other poets think it's an excuse to be lazy.