A Brief Outline Of the Most Common Terms and Terminologies used in Poetry.
First, what is poetry ?
"Emotions recollected in tranquility.. ", was the definition given by William Wordsworth.
Whatever, as long as it is the result of some inspiration (a scene or feeling or whatever, sadness or anger or love).
Weaving an Art from Poetry :
When Poetry is tuned to make it finer, it becomes yet another / Art of Writing.
While capturing this fine art, there are a certain things to be kept in mind.
They are :
Syllable
Meter
Flow
Rhythm
SYLLABLE :
A word can be divided into UNITS. Each of these units will produce a sound, when they are pronounced.
While pronouncing, these units can be said without interruption.
These UNITS are called as SYLLABLES.
A syllable always contains a vowel sound, and most syllables have consonants associated with the vowel.
Example :
syl-la-bles
po-etry
Eng-lish
per-so-ni-fi-cation
Depending upon the number of units (Syllables), they are divided into, they are termed.
Suppose a particular word is divided into 'n' number of units, then the word is said to contain 'n' syllables or it is termed as a 'n-syllabled' word.
rasp-be-rry : 3 syllables
stars : Mono syllabled word or 1 syllable
pam-per : 2 syllabled word.
Hope this is clear now.
English syllables are two kinds.
Accented or Stressed : A syllable that is stressed in pronunciation is called an accented syllable
When a greater amount of force is used to pronounce one syllable over another, it is called Stress)
Unaccented or Unstressed : These kind of syllables requires not much of force while pronouncing.
METER :
A measured pattern of rhythmic accents in a line of verse.
In most poems, the lines are written according to patterns of rhythm. Poetic meter is the measure of a line of poetry. It is rhythm that can be measured in poems.
In other words, to be more plain, it is the arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of syllables.
The smallest of these metrical units is the 'syllable'.
After the syllable, the next largest metrical unit is the 'foot', which is group of two or more syllables.
The next largest metrical unit is the 'line'. A line is the regular succession of feet, and, though it is not necessarily a sentence, it customarily begins with a capital letter. The number of feet in a line of verse determines the measure or meter.
FLOW :
When it is said 'flow', it should be understood that it points at 'Continuity' or 'Spontaneous..'
Words should never be forced, nor should they appear as if they were 'made to appear'.
A simple example of a Well-Flowing verse..
A violet by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye
Fair as a star, when only one
Is shining in the sky.. ----- William Wordsworth.
Here, you can notice the words simply flowing.
RHYTHM :
In simple English, Rhythm is the slight sound produced while 'reading a series of words or a line'.
Rhythm is the variation of the duration of sounds or other events over time. When governed by rule, it is called meter.
An other aspect of poetry is Rhyme, though it does not govern or rule the Poetic Art.
RHYME :
To make it plain, when the sounds of the concluding words are similar to another line, then the lines are said to rhyme with each other.
A re-occurrence of similar ending sounds at the ends of a poetic line.
A correspondence of terminal sounds of words in consecutive lines.
However, there can be various schemes of rhymes. In the example of Wordsworth's poem, we have above, the scheme of rhyme followed is abab.
stone
eye
one
sky
If the poem was like this,
A violet by a mossy stone
Fair as a star, when only one
Half hidden from the eye
Is shining in the sky..
Then the rhyme scheme would have been aabb
If it was like this,
A violet by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye
Is shining in the sky..
Fair as a star, when only one
Then the rhyme pattern is abba
It is MONORHYME, if it is all aaaa. like,
It is sparkling high,
A silver star on sky,
Half hidden from the eye
Amidst the clouds floating by..
Now you must have got it how rhymes are patterned.
COMMON TERMS IN POETRY
Metaphor : When a comparison is made between two totally un-related objects, then we are said to have employed a Metaphor.
Best example :
She sat beneath that sapphire bed
To watch the diamonds shining high,
She awed at the rich midnight sky
And the silver stars neatly spread..
Here, bed is compared to sky and diamonds are used to refer the stars.
Here, we employ two metaphors.
Hope you got it.
Imagery : When a picture or a scene is described in detail through words.
Irony : Irony is a form of speech in which the real meaning is concealed or contradicted by the words used.
Simile : Simile is the comparison of two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.
Example : Those Daffodil flowers looked like Golden blooms.
Now the DIFFERENCE between Metaphor and Simile, is that, metaphors suppress the usage of 'like' or 'as'. While Similes employ the usage of words like, 'like' or 'as' to show the relation.
Hyperbole : Hyperbole is a figure of speech which is an exaggerated comparison. Not to confuse with simile or
metaphor, because hyperbole is purely an exaggeration.
Metonymy : Metonymy is substituting a word for another word closely associated with it.
Example : We are loyal to the crown. (crown || king)
Oxymoron : a combination of two words that appear to contradict each other. Example: bittersweet
Paradox : A paradox is an apparently true statement that seems to lead to a contradiction.
Example : To preserve peace, we must prepare for war.
Personification : Act of giving human qualities to animals or objects.
Example : That laughing sea or Dancing waves beneath the smiling stars.
Alliteration : The repetition of initial consonant sounds, particularly at the beginning of words.
Example : sings a solitary song That whistles in the wind --- William Wordsworth.
Assonance : Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds but not consonant sounds.
Example : He talked as he walked near the silver snow in glow.
'talked-walked', 'snow-glow' (have repeated 'a' and 'o' sounds).
Consonance : Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds, but not vowels.
Example : Dark deep winter woods.. (D-d , w-w)
Elision : Elision refers to when a sound or syllable is lost or omitted. This is usually marked by an apostrophe: as in 'he's going to the shops'.
Homophones : Words which sound exactly the same but with different meanings ('maid' and 'made', 'see' and 'sea').
Pun : A humorous description or interpretation of a single word or more words.
Allusion : Allusion is a brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or fictitious, or to a work of art. A casual reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event.
An allusion may be drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion.
Apostrophe : In rhetoric the word is used to describe a sudden address to a person or personification. In punctuation the same word is used to describe the mark ' which can be used to indicate the beginning and end of direct speech, a quotation,
Anaphora : Repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of consecutive syntactic units.
Anapest : A metrical foot consisting of three syllables. The first two are unstressed and the last is stressed.
Quatrain : A four-line stanza which may be rhymed/unrhymed. A heroic quatrain is a four line stanza rhymed abab.
Refrain : A phrase repeated at intervals throughout a poem. A refrain may appear at the end of each stanza or at less regular intervals.
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*Advanced Terminology for Advanced Users
There are 6 types of Syllables.
1. Closed syllable has one vowel at the beginning or in the middle of the syllable,
which usually has a short sound (e.g. cat, it, speck, con-trast).
2. Open syllable has one vowel at the end of the syllable, which usually has a long
sound (e.g. me, hi, de-fend).
3. Vowel dipthong syllable has two vowels—or a vowel and consonant
(together that usually make just one vowel sound)
Examples: feet, stream, float, blow, found.
4. Vowel-consonant-e syllable the first vowel usually has its long sound
(like ope, -ane, -ize). Examples: strike, spoke, trade.
5. R-controlled syllable all of the vowels combined with r (e.g. er, ir, or, ar, ur).
Examples: torch, third, sharp.
6. Consonant-le syllable usually the final syllable of a word. The only syllable
pattern in which the vowel does not make a sound
(e.g. –ble, -cle, -ckle, -dle, -fle)
Examples: gam-ble, un-cle, ma-ple, puz-zle.
A line containing only one foot is called a 'monometer'. Two feet, Dimeter and so on..
Trimeter, Tetrameter, Pentameter, Hexameter, Hectameter and Octameter.
The six common kinds of feet in English metrics have been names derived from Greek:
1. IAMBIC foot consists of unaccented syllable followed by an accented. It can be heard in such words as
(because, hello)
2. TROCHAIC foot consists of an accented syllable followed by an unaccented. These are trochaic words: answer,
Tuesday.
3. DACTYLIC foot consists of an accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables. You can hear the dactylic beat in these words: beautiful, silently, Saturday.
4. ANAPESTIC foot consists of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable. These words are
anapestic: cavalier, tambourine, Marianne.
5. SPONDAIC foot consists of two accented syllables.
6. PYRRHIC foot consists of two unaccented syllables.
SCANSION :
Scansion is the process of calculating the number of metrical units in a poem.
While performing scansion, the following has to be taken in mind : Syllables, feet, meter.
Hope, this has helped the beginners with a slight idea of all or atleast most of the terminologies used in Poetry.
Any sincere correction would be appreciated.
* Any sincere correction would be appreciated.
Included in the list
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Comments
1 - 23 of 23
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I knew I remembered this...it's after 3 a.m., I guess I should have bookmarked it the first time around. LOL
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This is Fantastic!!!!!
Bravo!!! Bravo!!! Bravo!!! Ahhhhh raspberry, this was a fantastic column. Very indicative of your talent as a poet.
I am definitely bookmarking this, It has been far too long since I was at your home page. I was not neglecting you my friend, I just get so side tracked every time I am in here.
You put a lot of hard work and effort into this and I hope many poets just starting out see this. It's so informative.
As I love to do form poetry this is a perfect guide when I get stuck. I will not forget this and I definitely give you a standing ovation to go along with the applause I am about to give you after I stop rambling on here.
Love and blessings for you, today and always. 
Joyce -
Wow, I think my head just exploded from the info. I'm used to free verse, so it's a little hard to digest in one sitting, but immensely informative. I'll be revisiting this one in the future.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I am 34 and I didnt have a clue about any of the theory behind poetry. I used to just write what came to me and then play with it until it sounded how I wanted it to. I didn't even know what a stanza was so thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. It is very much apprieciated. I hope I become a better poet because of your help Thanks again
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Thank you for talking the time to put this all together. I am just now trying to find my way around AP but still getting lost in my own confussions in life. This is such a helpful page for many of us, thanks again. drmvalley2003
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Being a rebellious outlaw by nature, I have always felt the need to defend my writing from 'Poets that believe if poetry does not emulate "Emotions recollected in tranquility..." then it is NOT Poetry. I guess I came to awareness at the outset of Rock 'n Roll. lol
Very informative, nonetheless. Thank you. -
Well, I certainly feel ive learnt a fair bit...
Unfortunatly i got a bit lost half way through as there is ALOT of information which is all very useful! so Im saving the last half to read another day. But Thanks for posting it, its very intresting and informative!
JESSxxx -
Thanks, Raspberry, a great little list and it taught me a thing or two. More, more! (If you're feeling strong, that is.)
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This is an ambitious effort, and I appreciate it, but you might want to edit a bit. One piece of advice Pinsky gives is to check a dictionary for pronunciation and stress in words. such as per.son.if.i.ca.tion and po.e.try (3 syllables unless you are son of the moon).
Some of these terms are also contested. Meaning they have different meanings depending on which theorist you read. I have (for example) seen people treat stress and accent as the same thing. To mention Pinsky again, though, there are others who would not. Accent is relative, but binary, and is generally used in scansion (which I will leave alone). Stress is rather entirely variable; not two statuses, but infinite within a range. Stress is what things actually sound like whereas accent is a relative marker.
There are a lot of little things like this I would take issue with, but they aren't particularly relavent outside the act of composition. People differ not only in their definitions of poetry, but in approach. The terms are at least close enough to allow communication; which is what it is all about.
I'm glad you've found a system which works for you, and that you're willing to share it.
Brian
Edited on Sep 02, 6:51 because ''. -
This is excellent.
~Dee -
Thanks! I ususally never read these things...but this one actually seemed helpful, and was.
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very interesting did make me think about words which means it succeeded in some areas started to get lost towards the end but then I was never good at the technical parts of English in any form
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Appreciated!
Wonderful, I shall bookmark this one, I have read your work and if learning this will help me become better at writing then this is what I shall study for a bit, thank you for doing all of the work to put together this informative piece. -
Wow! This is great! There is a treasure of information here I didn't know yet. Thank you.
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an interesting, clear, intelligent and informative piece. thank you.
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Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!!!
Raspberry, Thank you for writing this it will be very helpful to me I know that and I'm sure to others just starting out.
I love the style and grace that you show not only in your works, but in the words you give to others also. Bless you!
Joyce
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I think this is of great value and not only for the beginner I applaud the work , research and effort that had to go into this and thank you for posting . Personally I especially appreciated the part on syllable count. Speking several other languages( English gives me a fit in syllable count) note:in the other language POETRY would be 3 syllables..PO-E-TRY...and RASPBERRY would still be three...however separated differently
RASP-BER-RY. I was taught speach and grammar ( however not syllables in school re English. It is extremely hard for me to write any pieces where syllable count is of importance( I usually have to look it up) and hence tend to shy away from it. And unfortunately I do not think I will ever get it correct
So thanks again........and all the rest of your information is of great value as well and being bookmarked
xoxo
Reenie
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This sort of stuff is very useful. However, it is interesting to note that different dialects of English will have different syllable counts on many words. You chose raspberry as a three syllable word. Scots would usually elide the middle syllable and pronounce the word raz - bri. I've also notice that stress patterns can be very different between speakers of English. A good example is ice cream, which in America (at least the last time I heard) would be stressed as / u , i.e. with the stress on ice. Over here we would reverse the stress and say u / , with the stress on the cream. Webster's Dictionary, morocco bound or not, has a lot to answer for. I'm not suggesting for a moment that your outline is flawed. I think the way people pronounce a language is a whole area of interest in itself. Thanks.
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yep i've bookmarked this for quick reference
thanks for going to the trouble of puttin' this together for us all
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Great knowledge base you have here rasp. Would be a great reference point for beginners and even free stylers like myself who really dont bother much w/ the technicalities.Infact till I took some classes at AP last year, i didnt even think technicalities add to poetry, in my glorious ignorance just belived it would hinder my creative flow
Great job
Simi -
I'd love to see you add examples to the accented and stressed syllables (since it is something I'm lousy at.) I found this useful and entertaining...I never thought the two could co-exist, lol. Lots of poets here will appreciate your help...including one non-poet: me.
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Overall, I found this to be helpful and well thought out, however, I did note a few things that need some correction. The items I find needing correction are mostly in the earlier part of the piece, in regards to syllables. I find that some of the ways you've parsed words into syllables don't appear to conform to normal convention, and further are contrary to Webster's. For example, the following: you've written "po-etry" and indicated it as a two syllable word, when in reality, it is "po-et-ry" according to Webster's, and is in reality a three syllable word. Another example is "per-so-ni-fi-cation" which is properly "per-son-i-fi-ca-tion."
Perhaps these are innocent typos on your part, but they are examples of mistakes that take away from the value and credibility of the overall write.
While I thank you for the effort you've put into this, I would ask that you take the time to review it a little more carefully, and maybe enlist the help of another set of eyes as well, in order to turn this into a credible, helpful resource and guide.
Edited on Sep 01, 2:02 p.m. because ''. -
Clear and Instructional
Thank you so much for this, as its been quite awhile since, having any poetry instruction and the refreshment of memory and the illustrations used here, were very helpful. It will help if ever I am committed to adhere to a specific style of poetry in the present or future. Little by little the desire to have structure in SOME of my poetry is coming out, this will be an invaluable quide and refresher in that effort.
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