TYPES OF POETRY

Acrostic: a type of poetry where the first, last or other letters in

a line spell out a particular word or phrase
Ballad: A Ballade poem should have three stanzas and an
envoy/ envoi.
o The rhyming pattern for the stanzas is ababbcbC
o The rhyming pattern for the envoy is bcbC
o The capital letter in the rhyming patterns shows where the
refrain should be.
Blank Verse: a poem with no rhyme but does have iambic
pentameter
Cinquain: consists of five unrhymed lines
o Line 1: 2 syllables
o Line 2: 4 syllables
o Line 3: 6 syllables
o Line 4: 8 syllables
o Line 5: 2 syllables
Diamante: A diamante poem is made up of 7 lines using a set
structure:
o Line 1: Beginning subject
o Line 2: Two describing words about line 1
o Line 3: Three doing words about line 1
o Line 4: A short phrase about line 1, a short phrase about
line 7
o Line 5: Three doing words about line 7
o Line 6: Two describing words about line 7
o Line 7: End subject
Echo verse: when the last word or syllable in a line is repeated
or echoed underneath to form a rhyming line, normally ending as
the last line being the title to the poem
Epic: a serious poem that tells a story; this is at length a
narrative piece with heroic events and deeds
Epigram: a short satirical and witty poem usually written as a
couplet or quatrain but can also just be a one lined phrase
Free verse: poetry written with rhymed or unrhymed verse that
has no set meter to it
Haiku: consists of 3 lines and 17 syllables.
o Line 1: 5 syllables
o Line 2: 7 syllables
o Line 3: 5 syllables

Limerick: a funny poem with a strong beat (5 lines)

o Line 1: begins with 'There was a....' and ends with a name,
person or place
o Line 5: normally a little farfetched or unusual
o Rhyme pattern: aabba
o Lines 1,2, & 5: 7- 10 syllables
o Lines 3 &4: 5-7 syllables
Lyric: a poem that expresses personal and emotional feelings
Ode: a lyric poem, usually addressing a particular person or
thing
Sonnet: a poem of an expressive thought or idea made up of 14
lines, each being 10 syllables long
Sandwich poems: when you are given a group of first lines and
a group of second lines, you pick the ones that you would like,
and you fill in the rest
Color poems: a figurative interpretation of colors
Sensory poems: a figurative interpretation of the senses