Elements of literature Unit 2 Sound and Syntax
iambic pentameter
A line of poetry that contains five iambic feet.
caesura
A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line. Emphasizes pause in thought.
rhetorical question
A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer
Alliteration
Repetition of beginning consonant sounds
Consonance
Repetition of internal and final consonant sounds
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds
Slant/Partial Rhyme
Similar syllables but slightly mismatched in sound
rhyme
Similarity in sound, especially with respect to the vowels of the last stressed syllable in a word
Parallelism
Similarity of structure in a series of words, phrases, clauses
Perfect rhyme
Syllables are exactly alike
Eye Rhyme
Syllables look alike but do not sound alike
End Rhyme
Syllables rhyme at the end of lines
dactylic foot
Three syllables with the stress on the first syllable (/uu)
anapestic foot
Three syllables with the stress on the last syllable (uu/)
Onomatopoeia
Use of words that sound like they mean
inextricably (p. 75)
inescapably
end-stopped
line of poetry that has a full pause at the end
feminine ending
term that refers to an unstressed extra syllable at the end of a line
rhetoric
the art of using language effectively and persuasively
enjambment
the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.
antithesis
the direct opposite, a sharp contrast
syntax
the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences
poetic feet
the individual units of meter
anaphora
the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences
phlegmatic (p. 64)
calm and unemotional in temperament
Internal Rhyme
Words that rhyme within a single line of poetry
masculine ending
a line that ends with a stressed syllable
meter
a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllabes
nullification (p. 76)
a state's refusing to enforce a federal law
chiasmus
a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed
trochaic foot
a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (/u)
militancy (p. 75)
agressivenes
iambic foot
an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (u/)
spondaic foot
two stressed syllables (//)
pyrrhic foot
two unstressed syllables (uu)
