Some Types of Poetry

Rhyme and Verse  

• Simple rhymes and rhythms
• Often comic, surprising, or sentimental
• Examples: Poems by Mother Goose, Robert Louis Stevenson, Shel Silverstein
• Often short

Narrative Poetry (includes ballads, epic poetry)

• Tells a story
• Uses poetic language
• Examples: Poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Robert Service, Vachel Lindsay  

Descriptive Poetry 

• Describes a place, event, person, idea
• Uses poetic language
• Examples: Poems by Walter Dean Meyers, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes

Lyric Poetry

• Focuses on emotion and feeling
• Examples: Poems by William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes

Other Pages in this Resource

• Poetry Work Plan: How to Use This Site

• Poetry: Page One

• What is Poetry

• Some Types of Poetry

• Poetic Language

• Some Famous Poets

• Do-It-Yourself Poetry Center