Term
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Definition
| Repetition of a vowel sound |
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Term
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Definition
| Repetition of initial consonant sounds in a group or words close together |
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Term
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Definition
| A comparison between two unlike things using like or as. |
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Term
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Definition
| A comparison between two unlike things without using like or as. Something is something else |
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Term
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Definition
| Giving human qualities or characteristics to animals or inanimate objects |
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Term
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Definition
| Overstatement or exaggeration |
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Term
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Definition
| The use of words which imitate sound |
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Term
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Definition
| a seeming contradiction in two words put together |
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Term
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Definition
Repeated consonant sounds at the ending of words placed near each other, usually on the
same or adjacent lines. These should be in sounds that are accented, or stressed, rather than in vowel |
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Term
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Definition
A discordant series of harsh, unpleasant sounds helps to convey disorder. This is often furthered
by the combined effect of the meaning and the difficulty of pronunciation. |
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Term
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Definition
| A series of musically pleasant sounds, conveying a sense of harmony and beauty to the language. |
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Term
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Definition
The purposeful re-use of words and phrases for an effect. Sometimes, especially with longer
phrases that contain a different key word each time, this is called parallelism. It has been a central part
of poetry in many cultures. Many of the Psalms use this device as one of their unifying elements. |
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Term
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Definition
A brief reference to some person, historical event, work of art, or Biblical or mythological
situation or character. |
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Term
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Definition
A word or phrase that can mean more than one thing, even in its context. Poets often search out
such words to add richness to their work. Often, one meaning seems quite readily apparent, but
other, deeper and darker meanings, await those who contemplate the poem. |
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Term
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Definition
Speaking directly to a real or imagined listener or inanimate object; addressing that person or
thing by name. |
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Term
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Definition
The emotional, psychological or social overtones of a word; its implications and associations
apart from its literal meaning. Often, this is what distinguishes the precisely correct word from one that
is merely acceptable. |
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Term
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Definition
The dictionary definition of a word; its literal meaning apart from any associations or connotations.
Students must exercise caution when beginning to use a thesaurus, since often the words that are
clustered together may share a denotative meaning, but not a connotative one, and the substitution of a
word can sometimes destroy the mood, and even the meaning, of a poem. |
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Term
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Definition
An understatement, used to lessen the effect of a statement; substituting something innocuous
for something that might be offensive or hurtful. |
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Term
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Definition
| A statement in which a seeming contradiction may reveal an unexpected truth. |
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