It is good to read poems simply for enjoyment, but learning some of the terms used in poetry can help us to understand what we read.
This table gives the meaning of some of the terms you will come across when you are learning about poetry.
| rhyme |
words or lines ending in with the same sound |
| alliteration |
two or more words beginning with the same sound |
| rhythm |
the way words and syllables are either stressed or unstressed in a poem: Old King Cole was a merry old soul (stressed syllables in bold) |
| stanza | the technical name for a verse: a set of lines grouped together in a poem |
| verse | the name often given to a set of lines grouped together in a poem, but really the word for writing that is in the form of a poem rather than a story |
| chorus | part of a poem or song that is repeated at the end of each stanza |
| couplet | two consecutive lines of poetry (one line straight after the other) that often rhyme |
In this worksheet, you will be asked questions about these terms and their meanings. Remember that you can look back at this introduction as often as you like by clicking the Help button.
This activity contains 7 questions
