Glossary

alliteration	Repetition of an initial consonant.
ambiguity	The possibility of more than one meaning.
assonance	Repetition of a vowel sound.
couplet	Two successive lines of verse.
imagery	The use of words to evoke pictures or images.
irony	Words implying a meaning opposite to their normal meaning.
metaphor	Implication of a resemblance between two different things.
mood	Atmosphere, for example ‘sombre’, ‘tragic’, ‘comic’, ‘joyful’, ‘romantic’. This is different from the tone of a poem, which refers to the poet’s attitude, for example ‘bitter’, ‘angry’, ‘resentful’, ‘cynical’, ‘sad’, ‘ironic’, ‘mocking’.
pun	A comic effect suggesting two meanings from one word or phrase.
rhyme	A pair of words with a similar final vowel sound.
rhythm	The pace at which it seems appropriate to read a poem. Many poets vary the rhythm of a poem to stress certain words and thereby make the meaning clearer.
satire	The use of wit or humour to attack something.
simile	A metaphor in which the similarity is expressed explicitly.
structure	The division of a poem into particular lengths of lines and stanzas.