Literary terms · AP English Literature, AP English Language, SAT Reading and Writing, ACT Reading
Stanza
Stanza: A group of lines in a poem separated from other groups by white space, functioning like a paragraph.
By the CollegePrepRoom editorial team · Updated · How we write and check these pages
What it means
Stanzas organize a poem into units. Common types include the couplet (two lines), tercet (three) and quatrain (four). Stanza breaks can signal shifts in time, place, speaker or attitude, and the relationship between stanzas often shows the poem's progression.
Changes in stanza length or pattern can be meaningful, especially near the end of a poem.
Example
A poem of four-line stanzas ends with a single isolated line, emphasizing the speaker's final realization.
On the exam
Organizing an analysis by stanza groups often mirrors the poem's movement and creates a clear line of reasoning.
Lessons and practice questions
Related terms
- EnjambmentThe continuation of a sentence or phrase past the end of a line of poetry without a pause.
- VoltaThe turn in a poem, especially a sonnet, where the argument, mood or perspective shifts.
- SonnetA fourteen-line poem, traditionally in iambic pentameter, with a set rhyme scheme and a turn in thought.