Poetic DevicesThe slides that follow are poetic devices that you may find in some of the poems you read.

Mrs. Donovan and Mrs. Burns

Alliteration: The occurrence of the same letter or sound

at the begging of adjacent or closely connected words.

Example: fast and furiousPeter and Paula pet the pony in Pennsylvania.

Rhyme The sound of the word or syllable at the end

of each line corresponds with that at the end of another.

Example: time, slime, mime

Rhythm A strong, regular repeated pattern of

movement or sound.

End Rhyme: Rhyme of terminal syllable of lines in

poetry.

Example:

Mr. Brown, the circus clown puts his clothes on upside down. He wears his hat upon his toes and socks and shoes upon his nose.

Figurative Language:

Departing from a literal use of words.

Example: The toast jumped out of the toaster.

I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.

Onomatopoeia: The formation of a word from a sound

associated with its name.

Words that sound like their meanings. In Hear the steady tick of the old hall clock, the word tick sounds like the action of the clock,

Examples: buzz, crackle, gurgle, hiss, pop, sizzle, snap, swoosh, whir, zip

Personification:

The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristic to something nonhuman.

Example: The first rays of morning tiptoed through the meadow.

Free Verse: Poetry that does not rhyme or have a

regular rhythm.

Hyperbole: Exaggerated statements or claims not

meant to be taken literally.

Examples: He weighs a ton.

Imagery: Visually descriptive or figurative language especially in

literacy work.

Examples:

Sight: Smoke mysteriously puffed out from the clown’s ears.

Sound: Tom placed his ear tightly against the wall; he could hear a faint but distinct thump thump thump.

Taste: A salty tear ran across onto her lips.

Smell: Cinnamon! That’s what wafted into his nostrils.

Metaphor/Similes: Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one is the other or does the action of the other.

Example: He’s a zero. Example: Her fingers danced across the keyboard.

Simile

A direct comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as.” Example: He’s as dumb as an ox.Example: Her eyes are like comets.

Repetition The purposeful re-use or repeating of a

phrase or word for an effect.

Example: I was so glad, so very, very glad.