Alliteration, Assonance, and Consonance
Topic: Alliteration
alliteration
1. The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables.
assonance
1. The repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words
2.The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, especially in stressed syllables, with changes in the intervening consonants.
3.Rough similarity; approximate agreement.
consonance
1.The repetition of consonants or of a consonant pattern, especially at the ends of words, as in blank and think or strong and string.
2.The property of sounding harmonious


Now I realize this is pretty elementary terminology, and these are probably three of the most basic of poetic devices, but don?t email me about my ?Poetry for Dummies? series just yet, ok? I want to delve into the uses of these three things, simply because I think most writers tend to use these without thinking much about it, and therefore, we become comfortable with them and don?t pass along to new writers just how or why they work, or don?t. Often we use them with so little conscious thought that even we don?t consider how they work, we just ?get a feel? for it, and off we go.

1. Alliteration is often over-used by less seasoned writers, leaving their readers as though they?ve come away from a tongue twister. She sells seashells on the seashore, The poor parched pooch perched on the post on the porch, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. No one wants to read, or for that matter write a poem that the reader can?t keep straight in his head. However there are ways to use alliteration that can lend a piece a complimentary effect. Personally, I find this true more with the softer consonant sounds, such as ?s? ?z? and ?th? as well as ?j? and the soft ?g? sound.
*Note that alliteration refers to the initial sound in a word, or the first letter/letter combination.

2. Assonance is a sort of ?trick word?. Ask most newer or younger writers, and they couldn?t define the word, yet they tend to be the ones who use it most. They can write in rhyme, and not know they use assonance in their work.
*Note that assonance refers to the internal sound or letter/letter combination of the stressed syllable.

3.Consonance is useful when looking to create a staccato effect, as a drum beat. It?s probably the least utilized of these three. We tend to think more about the end of our poem than the end of our individual words.

Enjambment
Topic: Enjambment
1. The continuation of a syntactic unit from one line or couplet of a poem to the next with no pause.

2. the breaking of a phrase, clause or sentence by the end of a line or between two verses.


Enjambment is in contrast with end-stopping,
where each linguistic unit corresponds with the line length.

Meaning flows from line to line, and the reader's eye is pulled forward. Enjambment creates a feeling of acceleration, as the reader is forced to continue reading after the line has ended. However it can also cause some confusion and unnecessary mental pauses within a thought or idea when used in an unusual manner or placement.

T.S. Eliot's poem "Gerontion" is heavily enjambed:

"After such knowledge, what forgiveness? Think now
History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors
And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions"

while Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism", are completely end stopped:

"Nature to all things fix'd the Limits fit,
And wisely curb'd proud Man's pretending Wit:"

Enjambment is another of the poetic devices that can serve good or evil, depending on the writer's usage, and intentions.

When writing about inner-city construction and traffic, creative enjambment may be just the trick, to add that jumpy jarring effect. When writing about a waterfall, one can create the movement and "flow" with enjambment used in a traditional manner. When writing about the serenity of early morning sunrise, end-stopping is probably more effective.

Metaphor and simile
Topic: Metaphor and Simile
Metaphor and simile
Metaphor:
1. A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison.

2. a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity.

3. One thing conceived as representing another; a symbol.

Simile
1. figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as.

2. a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with `like' or `as')

As you see, metaphor and simile are similar. They serve like purposes. Metaphors however are a purer form of symbolism, and leave your reader to make an inference as to the subject of you poem, rather than making it obvious, as does a simile. Metaphors deliver your message with more emotional impact than direct language, or similes. However, be careful not to use cliched metaphors (Life is a roller coaster, etc) or you nullify the effect. Also, when using metaphor in a poem, use the same metaphor throughout. Be consistent and avoid mixed metaphors. To mix metaphors also weakens the effect and weakens the piece by confusing the reader, particularly if the metaphors you choose are vastly different.

Gerunds and Participles
Topic: Gerunds and Participles
Gerunds and participles are often confused, one for another. Here are the definitions of each and an explanation of their differences.

A gerund is a verb that ends in -ing and functions as a noun, since a gerund functions as a noun, it occupies some positions in a sentence that a noun ordinarily would.

Ex: (direct object/subject)
They do not like my writing.

(subject compliment)
My brother?s favorite hobby is skating.

(object of preposition)
He was suspended for fighting.

Gerunds have one of two effects on writing. When properly used, gerunds can be used effectively to add a sense of movement to poetry. To do this, the writer must pre-think (and often re-think) his choices of frequency and placement.
When overused, or used without forethought, they tend to weaken the piece, because rather than giving the reader a concrete bit of foot placement from which to make the next step, they just whisk the reader along, never giving them a chance to stop and consider the path he?s followed. For a strong piece of poetry, one should use gerunds sparingly, and for a preconceived effect. Let your reader make his own way through the piece, give him time to consider, the opportunity to take in the message.

A participle is a verb that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or ?ed, they function as adjectives, and modify nouns or pronouns.

Ex:
Carrying his bag, he trudged through the snow.
The home, destroyed by fire, was a total loss.
She walks sadly through the whispering forest.

Although often mistaken for gerunds, participles usually don?t weaken a piece to the same degree as a gerund, because they are used as an adjective. Most readers subconsciously understand that an adjective isn?t a necessary part of the sentence as is the subject, and can differentiate the two. However, too many participles take us away from the core of the message we try to convey, and therefore leave us with a weaker result.

In poetry particularly, this is a fine line. We wouldn?t want to say ?She walked through a forest? and try to call it poetry. It isn?t descriptive enough without any modifiers, it lacks the ?art?. The secret lies in being able to judge when enough is enough. Perhaps my advice here should be two-fold (here come the cliches. . . )
?Look before you leap.? and
?All things in moderation.?

Cliche:
Topic: Cliche
Cliche:
1. A trite or overused expression or idea.
2. A person or character whose behavior is predictable or superficial.
3. A trite or obvious remark.
4. Anything that has been overused before, or is being overused now, any word or phrase you remember being used a certain way more than once.
5. A time-worn expression which has lost its vitality and to some extent its original meaning.

Example: ?Busy as bees?

Synonyms -
platitude
banality
commonplace

Now, understand that without fail, using cliches in your poetry will serve no purpose other than to weaken it, to bore your reader into turning away.

To use cliches is to use someone else's words rather than your own. There is nothing original or creative about copying someone else. There's also nothing interesting about your results when you do so.