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Literature Glossary

Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.

Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.

Accent

Definition:

Accents are all the rage in poetry. And no, we don't mean reciting some W.B. Yeats in an Irish brogue. We're talking syllables here, Shmoopers. The accent is the stressed syllable in a word. It's the one you put more oomph into, like the for in California or the milk in milkshake.

Mmm. Milkshakes.

Tags: General, Genre