Alliteration: Definition, Types & Examples

Alliteration in Writing

Writing involves different forms and concepts and sometimes it can be difficult to get the hang of each type. Take alliteration for example which is often an important part of creative writing and is required in certain papers and essays. Many students face problems trying to understand different sort of alliterations and their required usage.

In case you are facing issues trying to decipher this topic then this blog will help you get a good insight.  

What is Alliteration?

Alliteration is a writing technique that involves the successive repetition of the initial consonant sounds. In simple terms, this is when in a sentence; the beginning sounds of words are repeated. A good example of this is the famous song ‘Human Nature’ by Michael Jackson. The lyrics of the song ‘sweet seducing sighs and electric eyes are everywhere’ are a good example of alliteration technique applied in writing phrases.

The first letter in each of the words of both phrases are same, be it ‘S’ or ‘E’. This gives the phrases an almost poetic appeal. This repetition of sound at the beginning of each word is a literary device that is used to create a flow and sound effect in a sentence or a poem. Generally, it is consonants that are used for making alliteration and not vowels. This technique can be used with the same phrases, clause, sentence or even successive lines. A common and often used alliteration are tongue twisters.

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Types of Alliteration

One cannot comprehend creative writing style without the use of alliterations and they also have certain types:  

• General Alliteration

The most commonly used form of this literary technique where there is a repetition of the initial sound for e.g. the girl grabbed the golden goose. As you may notice that the letter ‘g’ is repeated in all the words. When in a series of words, the first letter is repeated, it is termed as general alliteration.  

• Consonance

Another form of alliteration is tricky and is often debated upon. This is when there is a repetition of consonants in any of the three-tier of the sentence, beginning, middle or end. An example of the usage of consonance can be ‘Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter’ where there is a repetition of two letters ‘t’ and ‘r’. This style is often implemented in poem and prose writing.

• Assonance

Assonance is strikingly similar to alliteration and often enough many find it confusing to distinguish between the two. Students are given assignments that specifically focus on differentiating between the two kinds. When a vowel sound is repeated at any place within a word it is known as assonance. While alliteration has repeating phonetic sounds at the initial place in a word, assonance can have that repetition at any part.

• Unvoiced alliteration

Another aspect of pronunciation is that some letters in a word are unvoiced and silent.  Though, they do become a necessary component to alliteration. They are not voiced either are they ever spoken out in the form of speech. An example of unvoiced alliteration is ‘Perry just poked a pink pterodactyl.’ Here while p is silent in pterodactyl, it is still counted as alliteration.

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Why is Alliteration used?

There are various forms of paper writing that make use of this technique. It is a preferred tool of essay writers and specifically poets to bring an added effect to what they are writing. The reason why they make use of alliteration is to get the reader to focus on a certain sound. It can be just for the purpose of creating a catchy tune that sounds nice to hear or to emphasize an important point. This literary device can certainly impact the quality of writing and make it all the more appealing. Every essay typer must have a good understanding of alliteration so they can incorporate it in their work and easily convey the required message.

It becomes all the more important for poets to make use of this technique in order to give shape to brilliant rhythmic patterns. Sounds implied while using alliterations can slow things down or even pace them up according to the suitability of the writer and the writing. It also impacts the mood and tone of the written material, be it a poem or a novel.

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Alliteration Examples

• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
• Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
• My counters and cupboards were completely cleared of carrot cake, cornbread, and crackers

Getting a good hang of alliteration and using them in your essay writing can prove to be really tricky. If you are facing difficulties while doing so then you can take help of our expert assignment writers who can guide you through the proper usage of this literary device.