Key terms

This week we are going to look at the tools available to you as poets. Wherever possible, we have avoided poetic jargon so far. We have also created a glossary to reference both the words we have covered so far and the words we will be using over the next few weeks. You can find a link to the glossary below. If you are not sure of something then check the glossary we have provided. If you feel there is anything missing let us know.

We don’t expect you to read the glossary from top to bottom. It’s there for reference only. We also understand that many people learn best through example. As the course progresses, technical terms will be explained and shown in context. The glossary is there if you need it, but don’t forget, so are our facilitators and your fellow learners!

The glossary itself is a truncated version of the glossary that can be found in Jeffrey Wainwright’s Poetry: The Basics (2016) published by Routledge. We would like to thank him for his kind permission for us to use it here.

Before having a look, why not try creating a definition of one of these words before looking at the glossary. As we wrote a cento last week, try to define the word ‘couplet’.