Channel 4 Learning


Glossary


  • alliteration
 Repetition of an initial consonant.
  • ambiguity
 The possibility of more than one meaning.
  • assonance
 Repetition of a vowel sound.
  • couplet
 Two successive lines of verse.
  • imagery
 The use of words to evoke pictures or images.
  • irony
 Words implying a meaning opposite to their normal meaning.
  • metaphor
 Implication of a resemblance between two different things.
  • mood
 Atmosphere, for example ‘sombre’, ‘tragic’, ‘comic’, ‘joyful’, ‘romantic’. This is different from the tone of a poem, which refers to the poet’s attitude, for example ‘bitter’, ‘angry’, ‘resentful’, ‘cynical’, ‘sad’, ‘ironic’, ‘mocking’.
  • pun
 A comic effect suggesting two meanings from one word or phrase.
  • rhyme
 A pair of words with a similar final vowel sound.
  • rhythm

The pace at which it seems appropriate to read a poem. Many poets vary the rhythm of a poem to stress certain words and thereby make the meaning clearer.
  • satire
 The use of wit or humour to attack something.
  • simile
 A metaphor in which the similarity is expressed explicitly.
  • structure
 The division of a poem into particular lengths of lines and stanzas.



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