Final answer:
The words and phrases a poet chooses to use in their poetry are referred to as diction, which concerns the choice of words and the style of expression that shapes the poem's meaning and emotional impact.
Step-by-step explanation:
In poetry, the words and phrases a poet selects are key to conveying their message and creating an evocative piece. The answer to the question “The words and phrases a poet choose to use are referred to as” is D. diction. Diction refers to the choice of words and style of expression that a poet uses. A poet's diction can include the use of vivid imagery, the structure of lines and stanzas, sound devices like meter, rhyme, rhythm, and the employment of figurative language, such as similes, metaphors, and personification. The selection of words affects the tone of the poem and helps in shaping its meaning and emotional impact.
It is important to differentiate diction from other poetic elements such as theme, which is the central idea or message of the poem; structure, which refers to the arrangement of ideas and the organization of lines and stanzas; and meter, which deals with the rhythmical pattern of stresses in a verse. While all these components are vital to poetry, it is the diction that specifically pertains to the poet's vocabulary choices and the nuances in meaning that those choices convey.