Alliteration

Module - 3 - Lesson 4

Grade 9

 

 

Alliteration occurs when words begin with the same sound. This serves as a way to link a poem together, adding to its cohesiveness as a whole. Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" gives an excellent example. Poe uses alliteration from the very beginning, describing the speaker "weak and weary" looking over "quaint and curious" books. As the action picks up, so does the alliteration ("While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping"), drawing the words and sounds together while drawing the reader into the story of the poem.

Alliteration not only brings the whole of the poem together, but often pulls words and phrases together, emphasizing them. In "The Raven," the narrator is "weak and weary," while his love Lenore is "rare and radiant" and the raven itself "ghastly grim". The time of year, December, is "distinctly" remembered and closely connected with "dying". When darkness is introduced, the intensity increases, aided by alliteration in the lines:

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;

 

Remember:

Alliteration is the repetition of the first consonant.

Examples:

§  Stan the strong surfer saved several swimmers on Saturday.

§  Tiny Tommy Thomson takes toy trucks to Timmy’s on Tuesday.

§  Great giants groan greatly on green grass.

§  Pretty princesses parade proudly passing people.

§  Huge horses have heavy hoofs.

§  Merry Mary misses many Monday movies.

§  Prince Peter picks pretty pansies for princesses.

§  Mean monsters make magnificent meatloaf.

§  Fast fat frogs franticly  find flies.

§  Eddie eagerly eats eleven Easter eggs.

§  Cheerful Carl creatively colors calico cats. 

 

Alliteration

Practicing exercise

1. Sally sells seashells down by the seashore. What is the alliteration and how many times does it occur?

S Eight times.
S Three times.
S Four times.
S Seven times.

2. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? What is the alliteration and how many times does it occur?
C Three times.
WOOD Five times.
WOOD Four times.
WOODCHUCK Two times.


3. Slowly, silently now the moon walks the night in her silver shoes. What is the alliteration and how many times does it occur?
S Five times.
N Two times.
SI Two times.
S Four times.

4. Whispering wildly words of passion. What is the alliteration and how many times does it occur?

W Three times.
S Four times.
I Three times.
None of the above.


5. Lightly leaps the leaping llama. What is the alliteration and how many times does it occur?

L Six times.
L Four times.
LEAP Two times.
L Three times.

 

 

Alliteration

Practicing exercise-Answer key

  1. S Four times.
  2. WOOD Five times.
  3. S Four times.
  4. W Three times.
  5. L Four times.


     

Alliteration

Quiz

1. Assonance or Alliteration? Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Alliteration

Assonance

2. Assonance or Alliteration? How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?

Alliteration

Assonance

3. Assonance or Alliteration? Fleet feet sweep by sleeping Greeks.

Alliteration

Assonance

4. Assonance or Alliteration? World Wide Web

Alliteration

Assonance

5. Assonance or Alliteration? Santa's Short Suit Shrunk

Alliteration

Assonance

6. Assonance or Alliteration? Try and light the fire.

Alliteration

Assonance

7. Assonance or Alliteration? Hear the mellow wedding bells.

Alliteration

Assonance

8. Assonance or Alliteration? He gave a nod to the officer with the pocket.

Alliteration

Assonance

9. Assonance or Alliteration? One-one was a race horse. Two-two was one too. One-one won one race. Two-two won one too.

Alliteration

Assonance

10. Assonance or Alliteration? A child took a lie on my thigh on a flight

Alliteration

Assonance

11. Assonance or Alliteration? Thirty-three thirsty, thundering thoroughbreds thumped Mr. Thurber on Thursday.

Alliteration

Assonance

 

 

Alliteration

Quiz

  1. Alliteration
  2. Alliteration
  3. Assonance
  4. Alliteration
  5. Alliteration
  6. Assonance
  7. Assonance
  8. Assonance
  9. Assonance
  10. Assonance
  11. Alliteration

 

 

Alliteration

Test

Instructions: I. Choose the best answer:

     1.      She is like the apple of my eye. What is this an example of?

                   a.      Simile

                   b.      Metaphor

                   c.      Alliteration

 

       2.      Which of the following is an example of alliteration?

                   a.      The scarlet coat was very warm.

                   b.      As the wind whispered in the treetops, the leaves whirled to the ground.

                   c.      Tariq is a very smart young man.

                   d.      What is the name of the new band that Brianna and Yvanna joined?

       3.      Which of the following is the best example of alliteration?

                   a.      "Water water everywhere nor any drop to drink"

                   b.      "Dusk demands daylight"

                   c.      "All the world's a stage"

                   d.      great humility

       4.      Which of the following is an example(s) of Alliteration?

                   a.      Sammy switched swiftly stopping sleepers.

                   b.      Bob killed Bill before he could travel to New York.

                   c.      Peter packed pickles partly because he was hungry.

                   d.      Candles cover cars before the light turned green.

       5.      Which of the following lines contains an example of alliteration?

                   a.      If you open the door.

                   b.      He's licking the ice.

                   c.      And his face in the fish

                   d.      He's munching the rice,

       6.      What is the definition of alliteration?

                   a.      Giving human characteristics to a non human object

                   b.      Comparing two or more things using like or as     

                   c.       The repitition of a consonant

                   d.      Comparing two or more things without using like or as

       7.      Alliteration is the repetition of these sounds at the beginnings of words

                   a.      vowel

                   b.      loud

                   c.      consonant

                   d.      rhymable

       8.      "Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark innyard."     

                   a.      Alliteration

                   b.      Metaphor

                   c.      Personification

                   d.      Simile

       9.      "Wayne's whirling winding words were wonderful" is an example of :

                   a.      cliche

                   b.      alliteration

                   c.      onomatopoeia

                   d.      idiom

       10.                   is an exaggeration.

                   a.      metaphor

                   b.      alliteration

                   c.      cliche

                   d.      hyperbole

 alliteration

Test-Answer key

  1. a
  2. b
  3. b
  4. a
  5. c
  6. c
  7. c
  8. a
  9. b
  10. d
  

Nota:

Esta propuesta es propiedad intelectual de la Escuela Virtual de Puerto Rico. Divulgar o compartir su contenido sin autorización entra en violación de la seguridad recíproca requerida. Se tomarán las acciones necesarias para asegurar que su uso sea sólo para beneficio de la matrícula del Proyecto.