Antithesis

"To err is human, to forgive, divine."

Placing contrasting terms or ideas close together in a parallel structure.

Eg: "My only love sprung from my only hate."

Effect: to emphasise their difference and give the effect of balance

Apostrophe

A direct address to a person or personified idea.

Eg: O death! Where is thy sting?

Effect: A cry, or outpouring of emotion

Caesura

An audible pause in a line of poetry

Eg: "If this proves true, they'll pay for it. By my honour."

Effect: to create a dramatic (or rhythmic) effect. Notice the difference between the comma and the full stop above.

Symbolism

A word or phrase signifying a sign or mark representing something else

The dove (of peace), the cross (Christianity)

Effect: A symbol brings a significant idea and all its connotations in a single word/phrase

Enjambment

When the meaning from a line of poetry is completed on the next line.

"How long have they tugged the leash, and strained apart,

My pack of unruly hounds."

Effect: Emphasises an idea or adds to the flow of the line

End stopped line

The lines of a stanza that give a grammatical pause at the end of each line

"I can haul and urge them no more."

Purpose: To complete an idea both visually and grammatically

Sibilance

The repetition of the consonant sound /s/ or /z/

Effect: hissing sound; onomatopoeic effect

Purpose: to slow the reader.