Alliteration, Assonance, and Consonance

Poetic Devices

​Alliteration, assonance, and consonance

Let's start by seeing what you know.

Answer the following questions without looking up the answers! We first need to see what you already know.

Match

Match the term to the example.

• Metaphor

• Simile

• Alliteration

Love is the north star to every ship.

You are like sunshine on a cloudy day.

From forth the fatal loins of the foes

• Love is the north star to every ship.

• You are like sunshine on a cloudy day.

• From forth the fatal loins of the foes

Match

Match the term to the example.

• Personification

• Onomatopoeia

• Hyperbole

• Repetition

• Oxymoron

The Sun smiled down at me.

Boom! Pow! Bang! Clang! Pop!

I could eat a million burgers!

Thus die I, thus, thus, thus. Die, die!

Pretty ugly

• The Sun smiled down at me.

• Boom! Pow! Bang! Clang! Pop!

• I could eat a million burgers!

• Thus die I, thus, thus, thus. Die, die!

• Pretty ugly

Multiple Choice

A heart is a symbol of ______, and a 4-leaf clover is a symbol of _____.

• rage, unhappiness

• love, luck

• anger, joy

Multiple Choice

Imagery is created in writing through the use of...

• a team of writers.

• similes and metaphors only.

• a variety of unusual literary devices.

• vivid description.

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the beginning sound of two or more nearby words. Usually, this is a consonant sound. Consonants are all letters except A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y. For example, “Leticia loves libraries.”

Look for alliteration in poetry.

Read the following excerpt of "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles.

Multiple Choice

Which detail from the excerpt contains alliteration?

• “sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand”

• “Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame”

• “Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame”

• “Mother of Exiles.”

Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds inside of words that are close together. The vowels are A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y. “The fat cat smacked the rattle” contains assonance. The “a” sound is repeated.

Read the following excerpt from “Afternoon on a Hill” by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I will be the gladdest thing

Under the sun!

I will touch a hundred flowers

And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds

With quiet eyes,

Watch the wind bow down the grass,

And the grass rise.

Multiple Choice

Which detail from the excerpt contains assonance?

• “I will be the gladdest”

• “Under the sun”

• “cliffs and clouds”

• “the grass rise”

Alliteration and assonance

You’ll often find alliteration and assonance in poetry and song lyrics. They can make writing more interesting and fun to read. You’ll also find alliteration in advertisements, names of companies and news headlines. The repetition of sounds draws your attention to certain words and makes them easier to remember.

Multiple Select

How could the following sentence be rewritten to include alliteration?

The good-looking bird had lots of nice memories.

• The good-looking woodpecker had lots of nice memories.

• The handsome hawk had hundreds of happy memories.

• The good-looking pigeon had tons of nice memories.

• The gorgeous stork had scores of enjoyable memories.

Alliteration and Assonance

Alliteration and assonance can create images in your mind. They bring text life. The repetition of the “cr” sound in “the crocodile is craving a crunchy critter” helps you imagine the crocodile eating its prey.

Alliteration and assonance can also create rhythm and a mood in text. Rhythm is the beat created by the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Mood is the feeling the reader gets from a text. The repetition of the “i” sound in “if you swim with him, your limbs will be his dinner” can make the reader feel scared or nervous.

Multiple Choice

How could the following sentence be rewritten to include assonance?

The boat moved on the water.

• The boat bobbed briskly by the bay.

• The boat floated slowly over the ocean.

• The ship sailed slowly on the sea.

• The ship floated fast on the lake.

The repetition of consonant sounds in the middle or at the end of words close together in a line of poetry.

​Consonance

Multiple Choice

Which pair of words is an example of consonance?

• dire and fire

• top and flip

• ooze and babble

• grasp and grow

Open Ended

Which words from the line below are examples of consonance? Hint: There are 4 words.

The kitten bolted, fell from the ottoman, and landed on the mat.