The Language of Poetry

A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly refers to one thing by mentioning another, often for comparative purposes.

Alliteration is a literary device that uses the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of words.

Personification is a figure of speech that gives human qualities to an animal, object, or idea.

Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses exaggeration for emphasis or humor.

Understatement is a figure of speech that uses understatement to create emphasis or irony.

Irony is a figure of speech that uses irony to create humor or emphasis.

A pun is a figure of speech that uses a word or phrase with a double meaning.

Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech that uses a word or phrase that imitates the sound of what it describes.

Euphemism is a figure of speech that uses a mild or indirect word or phrase to replace a harsh or blunt one.

Assonance is a literary device that uses repetition of the same vowel sound in a series of words.

Consonance is a literary device that uses repetition of the same consonant sound in a series of words.

A rhetorical question is a figure of speech that uses a question to create emphasis or suspense.

An apostrophe is a figure of speech that directly addresses a person, place, thing, or idea as if it were present.

A caesura is a figure of speech that uses a pause or break in a line of poetry.

Enjambment is a figure of speech that runs over from one line of poetry to the next without a pause.