Poetry Tools (Figurative Language) Repetition

The same words are repeated.

Rhyme

Words that sound almost alike.

Rhythm

A pattern of words or sounds.

Shape

Words are written in a shape.

Simile

Uses the words “as” or “like” to compare two things that are different. Example: “She is like a rose.”

Metaphor

Compares two things that are not really alike. Example: “We hid under the curtain of night.”

Idiom

An expression that doesn’t really mean what it says. Example: “It’s raining cats and dogs!”

Alliteration

Repeating the same beginning sound in more than two words. Example: Seven snakes slithered silently.

Personification

Giving non-human objects human qualities. Example: The T.V. talked all night.

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like an object or action. Example: Whoosh! The wind blew the door shut!