Imagery
The use of sensory language to create vivid pictures; helps the reader feel or visualise the scene and symbolises deeper meaning.
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Imagery | The use of sensory language to create vivid pictures; helps the reader feel or visualise the scene and symbolises deeper meaning. |
| Simile | A comparison using “like” or “as”; highlights similarity between two ideas to suggest a quality or emotion. |
| Metaphor | A direct comparison between unlike things; turns the abstract into something more tangible to imply deeper meaning. |
| Personification | Giving human qualities to non-human things; makes emotions or nature feel alive and emphasises mood or theme. |
| Symbolism | When an object represents a deeper idea; conveys underlying themes or concepts (e.g. a rose symbolises love). |
| Alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds; creates rhythm or draws attention to key ideas or emotions. |
| Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds; adds musicality and mood to reinforce tone or atmosphere. |
| Onomatopoeia | Words imitating sound (e.g. buzz, bang); enhances realism and auditory imagery. |
| Enjambment | A line that continues without punctuation; speeds pace or shows flow of thoughts, urgency or emotional intensity. |
| Caesura | A deliberate pause within a line; creates tension, abruptness or reflection in the rhythm. |
| Rhyme Scheme | Pattern of end rhymes (e.g. ABAB); adds structure and emphasises unity, contrast or predictability. |
| Rhythm / Meter | Pattern of stressed syllables; mirrors natural speech, heartbeat or emotional state of the speaker. |
| Repetition / Motif | Repeated words or ideas; emphasises key themes and highlights obsession or importance. |
| Contrast / Juxtaposition | Placement of opposing ideas together; highlights conflict, complexity or duality. |
| Tone | The poet’s attitude or emotional mood; shapes how the reader responds and interprets themes. |
| Stanza Structure | How lines are grouped (e.g. quatrain); organises ideas and marks changes in topic or emotion. |
| Volta / Turning Point | A noticeable shift in tone, argument or perspective; reveals change in emotion or theme (often in sonnets). |
| Form | Overall structure of the poem (e.g. free verse, sonnet); supports meaning by reinforcing theme or message. |
| Voice / Persona | The speaker or narrator in the poem; shapes point of view and influences reader empathy. |
| Emotive Language | Words that trigger strong emotion; evokes sympathy or highlights emotional impact of events or ideas. |
| Sibilance | Repetition of soft “s” or “sh” sounds; creates mood such as softness, calm or sinister tension. |
| Anaphora | Repetition of words at the start of lines; emphasises key ideas and builds intensity or rhythm. |
| Epistrophe | Repetition of words at the end of lines; reinforces the emotional impact or conclusion of an idea. |
| Oxymoron | Contradictory words together (e.g. “deafening silence”); highlights conflict or complexity within a theme. |
| Paradox | A statement that seems contradictory but reveals truth; challenges the reader to think deeply about theme. |
| Allusion | Reference to another text, person or event; adds deeper meaning by linking ideas with cultural knowledge. |
| Euphony | Pleasing, harmonious sounds; creates beauty, calmness or romantic tone. |
| Cacophony | Harsh, discordant sounds; creates discomfort or reflects chaos, violence or conflict. |
| Connotation | The implied meaning of a word beyond its literal definition; influences tone and emotional response. |
| Allegory | A story or extended metaphor representing a broader moral or political meaning. |
| Internal Rhyme | Rhyme within a line of poetry; adds rhythm and draws attention to ideas in the line. |
| End-stopping | A line ending with punctuation; slows pace and emphasises the completed thought. |
| Ellipsis | … indicating trailing thoughts or uncertainty; suggests hesitation, emotion or absence. |
| Synaesthesia | Mixing senses (e.g. “loud colour”); creates vivid, unusual imagery to emphasise emotion. |
| Hyperbole | Intentional exaggeration; emphasises strong feelings or dramatic effect. |
| Understatement | Downplaying something significant; creates irony or subtly highlights theme. |
| Idiom | A common expression with a non-literal meaning; conveys cultural context and tone. |
| Mood | The emotional atmosphere created for the reader; shapes how the reader feels about the poem. |
| Semantic Field | Group of words linked by theme (e.g. war, nature); reinforces the poem’s central ideas. |
| Apostrophe | Directly addressing someone absent or non-human; reveals emotional intensity or longing. |
| Pathetic Fallacy | Using weather/nature to reflect emotion; reinforces tone and character state. |