- 1 [uncountable] a collection of poems; poems in general synonym verse epic/lyric/pastoral, etc. poetry Maya Angelou’s poetry a poetry reading CollocationsLiteratureBeing a writer write/publish literature/poetry/fiction/a book/a story/a poem/a novel/a review/an autobiography become a writer/novelist/playwright find/have a publisher/an agent have a new book out edit/revise/proofread a book/text/manuscript dedicate a book/poem to…Plot, character and atmosphere construct/create/weave/weave something into a complex narrative advance/drive the plot introduce/present the protagonist/a character describe/depict/portray a character (as…)/(somebody as) a hero/villain create an exciting/a tense atmosphere build/heighten the suspense/tension evoke/capture the pathos of the situation convey emotion/an idea/an impression/a sense of… engage the reader seize/capture/grip the (reader’s) imagination arouse/elicit emotion/sympathy (in the reader) lack imagination/emotion/structure/rhythmLanguage, style and imagery use/employ language/imagery/humour/(especially US English) humor/an image/a symbol/a metaphor/a device use/adopt/develop a style/technique be rich in/be full of symbolism evoke images of…/a sense of…/a feeling of… create/achieve an effect maintain/lighten the tone introduce/develop an idea/a theme inspire a novel/a poet/somebody’s work/somebody’s imaginationReading and criticism read an author/somebody’s work/fiction/poetry/a text/a poem/a novel/a chapter/a passage review a book/a novel/somebody’s work give something/get/have/receive a good/bad review be hailed (as)/be recognized as a masterpiece quote a(n) phrase/line/stanza/passage/author provoke/spark discussion/criticism study/interpret/understand a text/passage translate somebody’s work/a text/a passage/a novel/a poem compare prose Wordfinderwriteauthor, book, classic, critic, drama, fiction, genre, literature, poetry, write Wordfinderpoetrycouplet, image, lyric, poetry, recite, refrain, rhyme, scansion, stanza, verse Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivegood, great, bad, … … of poetryline, piece, anthology, … verb + poetrycompose, write, read, … poetry + nounbook, collection, reading, … prepositionin poetry See full entry See related entries: Poetry
- 2[uncountable, singular] (approving) a beautiful and elegant quality There was poetry in all her gestures. Word Originlate Middle English: from medieval Latin poetria, from Latin poeta ‘poet’. In early use the word sometimes referred to creative literature in general.Extra examples At school we had to learn a lot of poetry by heart. He began his speech with a few lines of poetry. She invited me to one of her poetry readings. an essay on imagery in poetry the New York poetry scene
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