Poetry Vocabulary Quiz
12 questions on poetry terms: rhyme, metaphor, stanza, verse and the devices poets use. B1–B2 level.
Keep building your poetry vocabulary.
Poetry Vocabulary — FAQ
Rhyme occurs when words end with the same or similar sounds, such as 'light' and 'night'. Poets use rhyme, often at the ends of lines, to create a pleasing sound, link ideas and make a poem easier to remember.
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were another, without using 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'time is a thief' suggests that time steals moments from us. Metaphors create vivid, imaginative images.
A stanza is a group of lines in a poem set apart from other groups, rather like a paragraph in prose. Stanzas help organise a poem's ideas and rhythm, and they can have a fixed number of lines or vary.
Verse is writing arranged in lines, with rhythm and often rhyme, as opposed to ordinary prose. The word can refer to poetry in general or to a single stanza within a poem or song.
Both compare two things, but a simile uses 'like' or 'as', as in 'brave as a lion'. A metaphor states the comparison directly, as in 'he is a lion in battle'. Metaphors are usually stronger and more direct.
Metre is the regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. It creates a beat or rhythm, much like in music, and different poems use different metres to set their pace and mood.
Personification is a poetic device that gives human qualities, feelings or actions to animals, objects or ideas. Saying 'the wind whispered' or 'the sun smiled' brings the scene to life and adds emotion.
Alliteration is the repetition of the same beginning sound in words that are close together, such as 'wild and windy'. Poets use it to add musicality, draw attention to certain words and make lines memorable.
A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines that follows a set rhyme scheme and metre. Famous forms include the Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnet, and they are often used to explore love, beauty or deep emotion.
Free verse is poetry that does not follow a regular rhyme scheme or fixed metre. Instead of strict patterns, the poet uses natural speech rhythms, line breaks and imagery to create effect and meaning.