Poetic Techniques
● Metaphor = A comparison not using “as”, “like”, or “than”
○ Ex: He was a bull in a china shop
● Simile = A comparison using “as”, “like”, or “than”
○ Ex: His hair is like silk
●
● Onomatopoeia = words imitating real sounds (hiss, woosh)
○ Ex: Buzz, hiss, roar, woosh, woof
● Imagery = describing the scene/image
● Alliteration = words beginning with the same letter (consonant)
○ Ex: The wild and woolly walrus waits and wonders when we’ll walk by
● Assonance = A resemblance of sounds in words or syllables. Repetition of a vowel
sound
○ Ex: Holy and stony // Feet sweep by sleeping geese // No pain, no gain
● Personification = Giving something human-like qualities
○ Ex: The stuffed bear smiled as the little boy hugged him close
● Cliche = An overly used phrase that is very familiar
○ Ex: “Opposites attract”, “break a leg”
● Hyperbole = Big exaggeration w/ humour
○ Ex: “I am so hungry I could eat a horse!”
● Repetition = repeating a word/phase
○ Ex: Row, row, row away
● Foreshadowing = The indication/hint of an oncoming event
● Enjambment = Movement into the next verse without any punctuation OR a run-on
sentence
○ Ex: “The Good / Morrow…”
● Irony = Saying something that indicates another meaning or the opposite of its
original meaning
○ Ex: “Water, water everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water
everywhere, And not a drop to drink”
● Juxtaposition = the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with
contrasting effect
○ Ex: Night and Day, Good and Evil, Dark and Light
● Metaphor = A comparison not using “as”, “like”, or “than”
○ Ex: He was a bull in a china shop
● Simile = A comparison using “as”, “like”, or “than”
○ Ex: His hair is like silk
●
● Onomatopoeia = words imitating real sounds (hiss, woosh)
○ Ex: Buzz, hiss, roar, woosh, woof
● Imagery = describing the scene/image
● Alliteration = words beginning with the same letter (consonant)
○ Ex: The wild and woolly walrus waits and wonders when we’ll walk by
● Assonance = A resemblance of sounds in words or syllables. Repetition of a vowel
sound
○ Ex: Holy and stony // Feet sweep by sleeping geese // No pain, no gain
● Personification = Giving something human-like qualities
○ Ex: The stuffed bear smiled as the little boy hugged him close
● Cliche = An overly used phrase that is very familiar
○ Ex: “Opposites attract”, “break a leg”
● Hyperbole = Big exaggeration w/ humour
○ Ex: “I am so hungry I could eat a horse!”
● Repetition = repeating a word/phase
○ Ex: Row, row, row away
● Foreshadowing = The indication/hint of an oncoming event
● Enjambment = Movement into the next verse without any punctuation OR a run-on
sentence
○ Ex: “The Good / Morrow…”
● Irony = Saying something that indicates another meaning or the opposite of its
original meaning
○ Ex: “Water, water everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water
everywhere, And not a drop to drink”
● Juxtaposition = the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with
contrasting effect
○ Ex: Night and Day, Good and Evil, Dark and Light
