ENGLISH

ELEVENTH GRADE

Module 3 - Lesson 4

Alliteration

What is Alliteration?

Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sound in two or more neighboring words or syllables.

Here are some examples:

•the wild winds of winter

•Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Let’s look at another example…

WEATHER

Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.
            -- Anonymous

What is the purpose of Alliteration? The purpose of alliteration is to create a consistent pattern that catches the mind's eye and focuses attention. Alliteration makes the reader read faster, thereby adding a sense of speed and intensity to the sentence.

Alliteration is NOT just repeating consonant sounds at the beginning of words; it could be in the middle of a word.  This is also known as “consonance.”

Examples:
1. More men came home that day than we ever expected.
2. She gave the big dog a hug.

When vowels alliterate with other vowels it is called “assonance.”

Example:

1.   Fleet feet sweep by sleeping geeks.

Examples of alliterations:

ü "A moist young moon hung above the mist of a neighboring meadow."
(Vladimir Nabokov, Conclusive Evidence)

ü "Guinness is good for you."
(advertising slogan)

ü "Good men are gruff and grumpy, cranky, crabbed, and cross."
(Clement Freud)

ü "My style is public negotiations for parity, rather than private negotiations for position."
(Jesse Jackson)

ü "Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed."
(Bob Dylan, "Lay, Lady, Lay")

Alliteration

Practicing exercise

Make a list of twenty phrases that use alliteration, such as the sun settled on the south hill with sudden color. Pick two or three of these phrases and try to build images around them. Use at least one of these images in a poem.

Alliteration

Practicing exercise-Answer key

Answers will vary.

Alliteration

Quiz

Create an alliterative poem on a PowerPoint slide.

Guidelines:

1. Your poem must be at least 5 lines.
2. Use complete sentences that make sense.
3. Use correct punctuation.
4. Include at least 3 examples of alliteration in your poem.
5. Add a related picture/image to your slide

Alliteration

Quiz-Answer key

Answers will vary.

Alliteration

Test

Complete five twisters of your own.

1. Make up five twisters about famous people with whom you are familiar.
2. Make up five twisters about popular products you use.

Alliteration

Test

Answers will vary.