Structure in Poetry

caesura

A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line. Usually, there is a DASH or COMMA to show this pause or break.

ballad

A poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas that is based on romance/love and tragedy

formal verse poetry

Follows fixed, traditional patterns that may include specific rhyme scheme, meter, line length, or stanza structure (like a sonnet)

iambic pentameter

Meter in a sonnet; a line of verse with five (penta) metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by a long (or stressed) syllable.

scansion

The process of marking lines of poetry to show the type of feet and the number of feet they contain

free verse

Uses poetic language but does not follow a fixed pattern; in other words, poems that do not have stanzas or specific rhyme schemes

sonnet

a 14-line poem that contains 10 syllables per line and is usually written in iambic pentameter...typically, the rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

ode

a formal poem of honor or celebration; this type of poem was popularized in the 18th century.

couplet

a two-line stanza, usually with end-rhyme; typical in a sonnet. Usually this is where the reader sees a SHIFT or turning point.

metrical foot (poetry term)

each unit of stressed and unstressed syllables

cinquain

five (cinq) line stanza

quatrain

four (quatro) line stanza

stanzas

groups of lines of sections of ideas; similar to paragraphs in an essay

enjambment

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

rhyme scheme

the pattern of rhymes at the ends of lines

meter

the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem

rhythm

the pattern of strong (stressed) and weak (unstressed) beats

structure (poetry)

the way words, lines, and groups of lines are arranged or organized

tercet

three line stanza

blank verse poetry

written in lines of iambic pentameter, but doesn't use end rhyme