Poetry 101
Did you know? Terms & explanations.

STANZA ~ A grouping of lines within a poem that form a unit, similar to a paragraph in prose.


Couplet 2-line poem or stanza
TARCET 3-line poem or stanza
QUATRAIN 4-line poem or stanza
SESTET 6-line poem or stanza
OCTAVE 8-line poem or stanza


CLOSED FORM ~ Any poetic form that is governed by rules for rhyming, meter, foot pattern, syllable count, or alliteration.
OPEN FORM ~ A type of structure or form in poetry characterized by freedom from regularity and consistency in such elements as rhyme, line length, metrical pattern, and overall poetic structure.
BLANK VERSE ~ A line of poetry or prose in unrhymed iambic pentameter.
FREE VERSE ~ The most common type of open-form poetry, it doesn't depend on any set patterns of rhyme, meter, foot, syllable count, line length, or stanza shape.
EPIC ~ A long narrative poem that tells of an adventure. Usually sectioned off similar to that of giving chapters to a novel.