A Glossary of Poetry Types

Epigram a An Epigram is a short satirical and witty poem usually written as a Acrostic couplet or quatrain but can also just be a one-lined phrase. It is a brief and forceful remark with a funny ending. $QDFURVWLFSRHPLVDW\SHRISRHWU\ZKHUHWKH¿UVWODVWRURWKHU letters in a line spell out a particular word or phrase. The most FRPPRQDQGVLPSOHIRUPRIDQDFURVWLFSRHPLVZKHUHWKH¿UVW f letters of each line spell out the word or phrase. Free Verse Free Verse is poetry written with rhymed or unrhymed verse that b has no set meter to it. Ballad A Ballad poem is a poem that tells a story, which are often used h in songs because of their rhyme. A ballad is a poetic story, often a Haiku love story. A haiku is a Japanese poem which can also be known as a hokku. A Ballade haiku poem is similar to a tanka but has fewer lines. A haiku is a type $EDOODGHLVDW\SHRISRHWU\WKDW¿UVWEHFDPHSRSXODULQWKHWK of poetry that can be written on many themes, from love to nature. Century. A Ballade poem should have three stanzas and an envoy/ envoi. The rhyming pattern for the stanzas is ababbcbC. The Horatian Ode rhyming pattern for the envoy is bcbC. (The capital letter in the A Horatian Ode is a poem with meter and rhyme. It is devoted to rhyming patterns shows where the refrain should be.) praising a person, animal or object.

Blank Verse A blank verse is a poem with no rhyme but does have iambic i SHQWDPHWHU7KLVPHDQVLWFRQVLVWVRIOLQHVRI¿YHIHHWHDFKIRRW Irregular Ode being iambic, meaning two syllables long, one stressed followed An Irregular Ode is a poem with meter and rhyme, just like all by an unstressed. other odes, but has no set pattern. Each line rhymes somewhere throughout. c Cinquain k $FLQTXDLQSRHPLVDYHUVHRI¿YHOLQHVXVLQJDOLPLWHGDPRXQWRI Kennings syllables on each line. A kenning is a two-word phrase describing an object often using a metaphor. A Kennings poem is a riddle made up of several lines of d kennings to describe something or someone. Diamante Kyrielle A diamante poem is made up of 7 lines using a set structure. A Kyrielle poem is structured so that all the lines have eight When a diamante poem is written it takes on the shape of a syllables and each stanza of four lines ends in a refrain. It takes diamond. on a rhythmical form very much like a rhyming couplet. e l Echo Verse Limerick Echo Verse is when the last word or syllable in a line is repeated A Limerick is often a funny poem with a strong beat. Limericks are or echoed underneath to form a rhyming line. Echo Verse normally very light-hearted poems and can sometimes be utter nonsense. ends as the last line being the title of the poem. Limerick poems are great for kids to both read and write as they are short and funny. Epic An Epic is a serious poem that tells a story. This is a lengthy Lyric narrative piece with heroic events. A Lyric is a poem that expresses personal and emotional feelings.

Visit our website, www.youngwriters.co.uk/glossary-poetry-types, to see examples of each type of poem and to learn more about the structure of each poetry type. We have created a Glossary of Poetry Terms to complement this information sheet.

Young Writers OR, Remus House, Coltsfoot Drive, Woodston, Peterborough PE2 9BF Tel: 01733 890066 I 01733 898110 Fax: 01733 313524 Email: [email protected] Web: www.youngwriters.co.uk Bonacia Ltd Company Number: 05368980 A Glossary of Poetry Types

Shape Poem / Calligram / Concrete Poetry o A shape poem is a type of poetry that describes an object and is Ode shaped the same as the object the poem is describing. It is also known as a Calligram or a concrete poem. An ode is a lyric poem, usually addressing a particular person or thing. It originated in Ancient Greece. Shakespearean Sonnet Ottava Rima A Shakespearean Sonnet is a poem expressing a thought or emotion or idea. It is 14 lines long, which are formed by three An Ottava Rima is an Italian poem made up of eight lines that quatrains with a rhyming couplet for the last two lines. rhyme. Each line consists of eleven syllables. Sonnet p A sonnet is a poem expressing a thought or idea made up of 14 lines, each being 10-syllables long. Its rhymes are arranged Pantoum according to one of the schemes – Italian; where eight lines A pantoum is a type of poetry with a verse form consisting of three (called an octave) consisting of two quatrains (which normally stanzas. It has a set pattern of repetitive lines within the poem. open the poem as the question) are followed by six lines (called a Pindaric Ode sestet) that are the answer, or the more common English Sonnet, A Pindaric Ode is a poem with set meter and rhyme, just like which is three quatrains followed by a rhyming couplet. DOORWKHURGHV,WLVGH¿QHGE\WKUHHWULDGVWKHVWURSKHDQGWKH antistrophe being of the same stanza form and an epode as the t ¿QDOZKLFKLVGLIIHUHQW Tanka A tanka poem is a Japanese poem which can also be known as r a waka or uta. A tanka is similar to a haiku but has two additional Renga lines. Renga, means ‘linked poem’. Poets work in pairs or small groups, Terza Rima taking turns composing the alternating three-line and two-line $WHU]DULPDLVDQ,WDOLDQIRUPRISRHWU\¿UVWXVHGE\'DQWH stanzas. Alighieri. It consists of stanzas of three lines (or tercets) usually in Riddle iambic pentameter. A riddle is a type of poetry that describes something without Tetractys actually naming what it is, leaving the reader to guess. A riddle is a 7KHWHWUDFW\VLVDSRHPZLWKRQO\¿YHOLQHV(DFKOLQHDGGV light-hearted type of poetry which involves the reader. another syllable up to the last line which has ten.

Riddles can be about anything, from riddles about animals to Triolet riddles about objects. There are no rules on how to structure a $7ULROHWLVDSRHPRI¿[HGUK\WKPLFDOIRUPZLWKUHSHDWHGOLQHV,W riddle poem, a riddle can be funny or it can rhyme, it depends on is made up of eight lines with a set rhyming scheme. the person writing the riddle. Tyburn Rondeau $7\EXUQSRHPLVDVL[OLQHGSRHWLFIRUPZKHUHWKH¿UVWIRXUOLQHV $5RQGHDXLVDVKRUWSRHPFRQVLVWLQJRI¿IWHHQOLQHVWKDWKDYH consist of just a single two-syllabled word each that all rhyme. The WZRUK\PHVWKURXJKRXW7KH¿UVWIHZZRUGVRUSKUDVHIURPWKH¿UVW ODVWWZROLQHVDUHQLQHV\OODEOHVZKHUHWKH¿IWKWRHLJKWKV\OODEOHV line are repeated twice in the poem as a refrain. DUHWKHZRUGVIURPWKH¿UVWIRXUOLQHV s Senryu A senryu is a 17-syllable poem. It is an unrhymed Japanese verse. A senryu consists of 3 lines and 17 syllables.