#alliteration is only considered alliteration if all the words begin with consonant sounds

[dedalvs]

Random question:

So a while back I read something where someone was talking about how if English spelling were reformed so every sound had a unique symbol that we’d lose the “visual alliteration” of Cape Cod.

I cannot figure out what that means. Are those /k/ sounds not both [k]? The only difference I’ve been able to notice is a feeling of the airstream moving outward in “Cape” and inward in “Cod”, but I can’t tell if that’s due to vowel influence or what.

Let's back up. The "someone" who was talking about this was either (a) wrong, (b) uncooperatively pedantic, or (c) imagining a very specific, non-alphabetic spelling reform of English (e.g. spelling English with logographic or syllabic glyphs).

Assuming (b), the only way that English spelling could be reformed such that the C's in Cape Cod would be different is if the spelling reforming was as sensitive as a narrow IPA transcription. If that was the case, then there are some transcriptions of English that would transcribe the first as [kʰʲ] and the second as [kʰ]. This level is detail is phonologically important for some languages. English is not one of these. A sensible spelling reform would spell those the same, whether C (because all instances of [k] become C) or K (because all instances of [k] become K). A nonsensical spelling reform would actually spell aspirated and unaspirated voiceless stops different, but even then, these two would be the same, as they're both aspirated.

The airstream is the same for both (egressive). What you're feeling, I expect, is the very slight movement in tongue position as the initial [k], which is palatalized, moves backward to an unpalatalized position. The reason you feel this is the tongue doesn't have to do anything in between the onset of the first word and the onset of the second. The tongue gets in position for [e], and in this position you can pronounce [k] well enough, then with [p], your tongue doesn't have to do anything; the lips take care of it. This means your tongue body can remain in place. For "Cod", it moves back as the tongue prepares to pronounce [ɑ] (or whatever back vowel you have there). Notice also that the tongue body has to go down, the tongue tip retracting slightly to pronounce [ɑ]. That's all part of it.

Now, assuming (c), yeah, that's indeed going to happen. Consider Japanese katakana. This is how "Cape Cod" is spelled: ケープコッド /keːpu koddo/. The relevant characters—the ones that begin each syllable—are ケ /ke/ and コ /ko/. And, yeah, they're different, so you do lose the visual alliteration. However, what you lose in visual similarity you gain in economy. To write /ka, ke, ki, ko, ku/ in an alphabet you need 6 different letter forms and 10 total glyphs. To write the same thing in katakana you need 5 different letter forms and 5 total glyphs. Consider an old style text message, which had a hard character count. A syllabary allows you to fit more letters in than an alphabet because each character encodes more information. When it comes to sheer character count, then, the Japanese writing system is much more efficient when it comes to writing Japanese than the English Romanization is.

Of course, that's for Japanese. For English it doesn't make as much sense because of our overabundance of consonant clusters. Typing lava in an alphabet takes 4 characters; in a syllabary, it takes 2. Typing straps, though, requires 6 characters in an alphabet and 5 in a syllabary. That doesn't save you a lot space—and a syllabary like Japanese's throws in extra vowels that have to be there, even if they're not pronounced, destroying its efficiency by, essentially, adding extra noise to the signal. Returning to straps, you have 6 characters, and all elements are vocalized. In katakana, you'd have to do ストラプス /sutorapusu/. You save a character with ラ /ra/, but then you have a whole bunch of vowels you have to remember not to pronounce.

Long story short, if you were going to reform the English spelling system, I don't think a syllabary (or even an abugida) makes sense, and a logography would be quite a thing to drop on the unsuspecting populace, even if it would be more equitable. This is why I guessed that what you overheard wasn't (c) and was likely (b).

Anyway, that's my 2¢. Hope it helps.

#language #linguistics #orthography #spelling #English #Japanese #syllabary #logography #alphabet #spelling reform

[classpectingshitposts]

Enjoy some alliterative amusement as you attempt to ascertain the author of this assault on the acumen of the assuredly absolutely addled audience.

Light

#source: unknown #discord submission #thanks for submitting! #incorrect homestuck quotes #incorrect classpect quotes #incorrect quotes #homestuck #hs #classpect #god tier #aspect #light #mod morning #fun fact! #alliteration is only considered alliteration if all the words begin with consonant sounds #meaning this technically isn't alliteration #because it starts with a vowel sound #:)

[mmeducation]

Literary Styles

Allegory An allegory is a story that is used to represent a more general message about real-life (historical) issues and/or events. It is typically an entire book, novel, play, etc. (George Orwell's Animal Farm) Alliteration Alliteration is a series of words or phrases that all (or almost all) start with the same sound. These sounds are typically consonants to give more stress to that syllable. (Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers) Allusion Allusion is when an author makes an indirect reference to a figure, place, event, or idea originating from outside the text. (Stop acting so smart—it's not like you're Einstein or something.) Anachronism An anachronism occurs when there is an (intentional) error in the chronology or timeline of a text. ( A Renaissance king who says, "That's dope, dude!) Anaphora Anaphora is when a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of multiple sentences throughout a piece of writing. (Winston Churchill's "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" speech. He repeats the phrase "we shall fight" ) Anthropomorphism An anthropomorphism occurs when something nonhuman, such as an animal, place, or inanimate object, behaves in a human-like way. ( Mickey and Minnie Mouse can speak, wear clothes, sing,) Asyndeton Asyndeton is when the writer leaves out conjunctions (such as "and," "or," "but," and "for") in a group of words or phrases so that the meaning of the phrase or sentence is emphasized. (Lincoln speech "...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth.) Colloquialism Colloquialism is the use of informal language and slang. It's often used by authors to lend a sense of realism to their characters and dialogue. (Hey, what's up, man?" uses common everyday words and phrases) Epigraph An epigraph is when an author inserts a famous quotation, poem, song, or other short passage or text at the beginning of a larger text ( Hemingway's book The Sun Also Rises is an epigraph that consists of a quotation from the bible  "You are all a lost generation) Epistrophe Epistrophe is similar to anaphora, but in this case, the repeated word or phrase appears at the end of successive statements. ( "There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem.") Euphemism A euphemism is when a more mild or indirect word or expression is used in place of another word or phrase that is considered harsh, blunt, vulgar, or unpleasant. (He is asleep is nicer than saying he is dead) Flashback A flashback is an interruption in a narrative that depicts events that have already occurred Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is when indirectly hints at tells what's to come later on in the story. Hyperbole Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that's not meant to be taken literally by the reader. (I'm so hungry I could eat a horse) Imagery Imagery is when an author describes a scene, thing, or idea so that it appeals to our senses (taste, smell, sight, touch, or hearing). Irony Irony is when a statement is used to express an opposite meaning than the one literally expressed by it. (Verbal irony, similar to sarcasm - Situational irony: When something unexpected happens. - Dramatic irony: When the audience is aware while the characters are not.) Juxtaposition Juxtaposition is the comparing and contrasting of two or more different (usually opposite) ideas, characters, objects, etc. (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness) Malapropism Malapropism happens when an incorrect word is used in place of a word that has a similar sound. (I just can't wait to dance the flamingo!" flamenco, a type of dance; The flamingo, an animal Metaphor/Simile Metaphors are when ideas, actions, or objects are described in non-literal terms. In short, it's when an author compares one thing to another. (She is as vicious as a lion) Metonym A metonym is when a related word or phrase is substituted for the actual thing to which it's referring. (The pen is mightier than the sword) Mood Mood is the general feeling the writer wants the audience to have. (detailed description to set create a cozy, comforting mood) Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is a words that represents a sound and actually resembles or imitates the sound it stands for (Buzz, boom, chirp, creak, sizzle, zoom, etc.) Oxymoron An oxymoron is a combination of two words that, together, express a contradictory meaning. (organized chaos, cruelly kind, insanely logical) Paradox A paradox is a statement that appears illogical or self-contradictory but, upon investigation, might actually be true or plausible. ("This statement is false." Paradox because it is both true and false at the same time.) Personification Personification is when a nonhuman figure or other abstract concept or element is described as having human-like qualities or characteristics.  (The wind moaned) Repetition Repetition is when a word or phrase is written multiple times, usually for the purpose of emphasis. ( And love is love is is love is love, it cannot be killed or swept aside. Satire Satire is genre of writing that criticizes something, such as a person, behavior, belief, government, or society. (The Onion is a satirical newspaper) Soliloquy A type of monologue that's often used in dramas, a soliloquy is when a character speaks aloud to himself (Juliet says out loud by herself "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?") Symbolism Symbolism refers to the use of an object, figure, event, situation, or other idea in a written work to represent something else (the green light that sits across from Gatsby's mansion symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams.) Synecdoche A synecdoche is a literary device in which part of something is used to represent the whole, or vice versa. (Help me out, I need some hands!) Tone While mood is what the audience is supposed to feel, tone is the writer or narrator's attitude towards a subject. (Today I am in the Yellowstone Park, and I wish I were dead.)

[ninobriones29]

REFLECTION JOURNAL

By: Niño L. Briones HUMSS 12D

Module 3: Creative Non Fiction Demystified

In this module i learned that Creative nonfiction is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives in order to deliverate a story so lets go to the topics that ive learned in this module.

Element of Creative Nonfiction

PLOT - As what ive said on module 2 Plot is the sequence of the story.

SCOPE - I learned that scope is what everyone is talking about when they talk about genre. The scope of your story defines the genre — some concepts and ideas are in and others are out

SEQUENCE - based on what ive understand in this module it is a particular order in which related events, movements, or things follow each other.

CHARACTERS, POINT OF VIEW And lastly the SETTING AND ATMOSPHERE or the mood of the story by the way this only the beggining lets move of to the figure of speech the 20 figure of speech with my own example to it cause i made an example on each type lets go but first of all what is figure of speech? I learned and understand on this module that the figure of speech is a word or phrase that possesses a separate meaning from its literal definition lets find it out.

The 20 Figure of speech:

1.Alliteration- The repetition of an initial consonant sound.

Example: Peter piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.

2.Anaphora-The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.

Example: Every morning, every afternoon and every evening I walk by the lake.

3.Antithesis-The juxtaposition/comparing of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.

Example: Man proposes and God deposes.

4.Chiasmus-A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed.

Example: You forget what you want to remember yet you remember what you want to forget.

5.Euphemism-The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit.

Example: Instead of ‘he died’ you would say ‘he passed away.’

6.Hyperbole-An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.

Example: I have a million things to do today.

7.Irony-The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning.

Example: The pilot had a fear of flying.

8.Litotes-A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.

Example: I wasn’t unhappy with the gift.

9.Metaphor-An implied comparison between two unlike things that actually have something important in common.

Example: She was the shining star of the talent show.

10.Metonymy-A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another.

Example: The pen is more mighty than the sword.

11.Onomatopoeia- The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.

Example: My watch ticks loudly.

12.Oxymoron-A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side.

Example: The girl next door is pretty ugly.

13.Paradox-A statement that appears to contradict itself.

Example: It is the beginning of the end.

14.Personification-A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities.

Example: My alarm clock screams at me every morning.

15.Pun-A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.

Example: The two guitarists got on well as they were always in a chord.

16.Simile-A stated comparison between two fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common.

Example: Her hair was as golden as the sun.

17.Synecdoche-A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole.

Example: At school the children learn ABCs and 123s.

18.Understatement-A figure of speech in which a writer or a speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.

Example: I only have two million dollars.

19.Apostrophe-Breaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing, some abstract quality, an inanimate object, or a nonexistent character.

Example: Oh come on you stupid door, just unlock.

20.Assonance- Identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words.

Example: How now, brown cow.

based on what you've seen i put an example from each type of figure of speech i wasn't expected that because some of those types i dont familiar.

Lets move on to the last part which is the DIALOGUE and the SCENE this is the last topic int this module so lets just finish this base on what ive learned about DIALOGUE, Dialogue is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange thats all about dialogue lets move on to the last which is SCENE i learned that scene is the place where an incident in real life or fiction occurs or occurred so good job to me cause i finish my reflection into this module which module 3 thats all. for the module 3

#cnf #module 3

[danahbanana]

CREATIVE NONFICTION

REFLECTION JOURNAL

By Danah Tolentino HUMSS 12-D

This Module is entitled; CREATIVE NONFICTION DEMYSTIFIED. In this lesson, it have the objective to list down the characteristics of creative nonfiction. But first what is nonfiction? Based on my knowledge these are the writing that is based on true events, people, places, and facts. This category can apply to something like this, a blog, hence it is not just blog but also for food, travel, memoir, personal essay etc. Creative nonfiction can appear and can connect the reader and writer because of the emotions, experiences. Always remember, Creative Nonfiction is all based on true life experiences or events, no imagination should be put in writings, or even false facts.

So if Fiction have its Elements and so ,Creative Nonfiction. You'll be somehow confused because the elements of fiction is mostly the same in creative nonfiction. But not at all. So bare with me and have a long patience and understanding.

PLOT, in creative nonfiction plot is where the true events happened. It is a string of events. But here in CNF a Plot also have an elements; scope, sequence, and pacing.

- Scope is the boundaries of the plot. Where and when does the story begin and end.

- Sequence, refers to the order of the events. Hence not only the Traditional sequence is the option, we also have here the

• Freytag's Pyramid

• In media res ( It is when the story happened in between or in middle of the action)

• and, Non linear Narrative, where series of flashbacks, happened back and forth in the nonfiction sequence.

- Pacing. It is just simply the time speed or the flow of your story.

CHARACTERS, this element makes a story alive. Hence, this is nonfiction so a human, environment, or animals can be a character.

CHARACTERIZATION. It refers to the development of the characters, in actions, descriptions, or dialogue.

Tho, the breakdown of characterization comes in two ways. Directly and Indirectly.

POINT OF VIEW. In non fiction, it is just the perspective of the narrative and the emotions attached. In p.o.v to confirm an emotion, we needed tone and mood.

- Tone, is the emotion of the story inserted.

- Mood, is the emotion that the readers felt.

ANGLE, it is the standpoint where the narrative is being told.

SETTING AND ATMOSPHERE, setting is the place where the story or narrative takes place. While Atmosphere is the surrounding mood of the setting.

SYMBOLS AND SYMBOLISM, symbols is how the writer gives meaning to the objects Symbolism is the practice or art of representing an abstract idea with an object or a word.

IRONY, is when you get the exact opposite of what you expected. This frequently results in amusement or emphasis. And there's three types of Irony

- Verbal Irony, it is when a word meaning is actually different from what you're reading or heard.

- Dramatic Irony, communicated through the structure of a work: the audience's perception of the situation in which a work's characters exist significantly differs from the characters', and the characters' words and actions take on a different often conflicting.

- Situational Irony, it is the gradually turned of events. It is where the unexpected scenarios arises/experience.

DIALOGUE, is the communication between the characters.

SCENE, it is the showing of time and place of the subdivision of an act.

Well, that's the elements of the nonfiction. But i doesn't stop there, because in writing a nonfiction, we can also encounter a FIGURE OF SPEECH. There's a hundred of Figure of speeches actually, but these are the most common type that you may see or encounter in a narrative work.

• ALLITERATION, or the repetition of an initial consonant sound.

• ANAPHORA, the repetition if same word of phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.

• ANTITHESIS, the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.

• APOSTROPHE, breaking of discourse to address some absent person or thing, some abstract quality, an inanimate objects or a nonexistent character.

• CHIASMUS , a verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with parts reversed.

• EUPHEMISM, the substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit.

• HYPERBOLE, an extravagant statement the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.

• IRONY, the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.

• LITOTES, a figure of speech consisting between two unlike things that actually have something important in common.

• METHAPHOR, is an implied comparison between two unlike things that actually have something important in common.

• METONYMY, it is when one word or phrase is substituted got another which it is closely associated.

• ONOMATOPOEIA, the formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated to the actions they refer.

• OXYMORON, it is which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side.

• PARADOX, a statement that appears to contradict itself.

• PERSONIFICATION, a figure of speech which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities.

• PUN, a play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.

• SIMILE, comparison that usually formed with "like" or "as" between two fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common.

• SYNECDOCHE, it represent the while for a part

• UNDERSTATEMENT, a figure of speech in which a writer or a speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.

And there you go, that's the Module 3 of CREATIVE NONFICTION. I learned a lot in this lesson, and especially the Figures of Speech part it refresh my memories and knowledge about it. In the end part Activity for this module, our teacher made us compare with the Venn diagram the Fiction and Nonfiction, also spot the elements of nonfiction and figure of speech for the nonfiction work. This module is actually fun. Please look forward for more Reflection Journal of mine. Thankyou, and have a great day.

7:32 P.M

#cnf #module3

[williamlwolf89]

66+ Alliteration Examples to Make Your Message More Memorable

Looking for some alliteration examples to expand your writing repertoire?

This post is going to be your go-to resource.

It’s packed with examples from pop culture, sports, literature, and content marketing that’ll inspire you to infuse alliteration into your own writing.

You’ll also discover:

How alliteration helped you learn letter sounds and develop memory skills when you were young;

The differences between alliteration, assonance, and consonance;

How freelance writers, bloggers, students, marketers, and literary greats use alliteration to touch the hearts and minds of readers.

Ready? We’ll start with a quick alliteration refresher.

What is Alliteration?

Alliteration is a stylistic literary device that refers to the repetition of closely connected series of words that have the same beginning consonant sounds.

For example, here’s an all-too-true story that repeats the beginning “b” sound:

“Barbara baked banana bread, but it burned.”

(Bummer. )

Alliteration has been used for centuries to breathe life into the written (and spoken) word through the effect of the sounds of words.

For example, in the movie “V for Vendetta”, V’s self-introduction takes alliteration to extreme. The effect of the string of “v” words certainly draws attention to his character through emphasis and tone:

The words of his speech tell his background story, but the repeated “v” sounds help viewers get a sense of his persona. The ominous impression of “V” is unforgettable.

This extreme example of alliteration demonstrates the power of verbal alliteration in film, but this technique has similar effects in written form.

Before we dig into the benefits of alliteration, let’s take a look at alliteration’s close cousins: assonance and consonance.

What’s the Difference Between Alliteration, Assonance, and Consonance?

There are two sound-based literary devices that are very similar to, and sometimes confused with, alliteration: assonance and consonance.

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in a sentence, like “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in a sentence, like “All’s well that ends well.”

Repetitive sounds are the common factor between alliteration, assonance and consonance. Alliteration differs from the other two because it refers specifically to the first consonant sounds in words.

What are the Benefits of Alliteration, Assonance, & Consonance?

Due to the repetitive component of alliteration, assonance, and consonance, they are considered phonological mnemonic devices, which help to emphasize concepts and make passages more memorable.

Sound-based literary devices can also help to project a tone or mood with repeated sounds in words.

Alliteration is a multi-purpose literary device and its use can impact us in a variety of ways.

Truth be told, alliteration has benefited us from an early age, even before we could read.

The Evolution of Alliteration (in Our Lives)

Alliteration helps preschoolers learn letter sounds and develop memory skills.

We’re first introduced to alliteration through nursery rhymes and other children’s poetry:

“Three gray geese in a green field grazing…”

“Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said, this butter’s bitter; if I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter, but a bit of better butter will make my batter better…”

Children’s poet Shel Silverstein’s alliteratively titled “The Gnome, The Gnat and The Gnu” hints of repeated “n” sounds that are found sprinkled throughout his poem. His stylistic spelling also serves as a fun way to teach children that the letters “gn,” “kn” and “n” all make the same sound:

I saw an ol’ gnome Take a gknock at a gnat Who was gnibbling the gnose of his gnu. I said, “Gnasty gnome, Gnow, stop doing that. That gnat ain’t done gnothing to you.” He gnodded his gnarled ol’ head and said, “‘Til gnow I gnever gnew That gknocking a gnat In the gnoodle like that Was gnot a gnice thing to do.”

Fun alliterative tongue twisters challenge children’s fast-talking skills:

“Sally sells seashells at the seashore…”

“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers…”

But alliterative children’s poetry and stories do more than simply teach phonics or entertain.

While pondering pickled peppers, children’s brains also work on associating meanings and emotional responses to sounds that they hear.

Intrigued? Read on.

Sound Symbolism: Labeling a Sound

Sounds of words actually reinforce their meaning and influence the interpretation of our language. Sound Symbolism is the recognition of the concept that sounds have a certain inherent meanings and enhance effective communication.

So, how are these sound symbolisms developed?

Symbolism of sounds is derived in part from how we create sounds with our mouths and vocal chords. We categorize sounds with an “internal catalog” of facial movements related to certain words combined with our awareness of how we physically form sounds and words with our mouths.

Try this:

Form your mouth like you’re going to say a word that starts with “sn.”

(Go ahead, nobody’s looking.)

You did that nasally pluggy-uppy maneuver with your tongue, didn’t you?

We’ve associated our nose with the vocalization of the “sn” sound. Not coincidentally, many words that are related to the nose and mouth start with “sn,” like snore, snout, sniff, snoop and sneeze.

Skillful use of alliteration emphasizes a tone or mood through rhythmic repetition of sounds, eliciting a response to the “internal sound symbolism catalog” that we all share.

Joni Mitchell wrote the alliterative opening song lyrics to her 1970 hit, “Big Yellow Taxi” to set the tone of her message. Listen to the repeated “p” words that project her “spitting mad” mood about what’s happening in her world:

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot…”



Let’s take a look at some examples of alliteration in our everyday lives that help us remember things.

Pop Culture: What’s in an Alliterative Name?

Plenty of science and thought is put into naming consumer products or brands. Here are some business and brand names that have obvious mnemonic qualities:

Dunkin’ Donuts

Krispy Kreme

Bath & Body Works

Bed, Bath & Beyond

LuluLemon

Coca-Cola

Best Buy

American Airlines

PayPal

American Apparel

Sports team franchise names that make the all-alliteration team are:

Los Angeles Lakers

Buffalo Bills

Pittsburgh Pirates (and Penguins)

Seattle Seahawks

We often hear alliteration in music and film artists’ names. These famous television, film, sports and political figures were given a natural edge on popularity with their alliterative names:

Ronald Reagan

Mickey Mantle

Katie Courec

Jesse Jackson

Lucy Liu

We can only wonder if Norma Jean Mortenson’s popularity and success was aided by the act of changing her name to Marilyn Monroe. Other celebrity artists that adopted alliterative stage names are:

Backstreet Boys

Beastie Boys

Dr. Dre

Counting Crows

Foo Fighters

Many fictitious characters in children’s cartoons, books or movies have alliterative names. To highlight his importance, main character Spongebob Squarepants’ name is alliterative, but his friends’ names are not. Some others:

Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse

Big Bird

Donald Duck

Peppa Pig

Bugs Bunny

Marvel Universe superheroes’ real identities and supporting characters were deliberately named alliteratively by creator, Stan Lee. Curiously, he admitted in an interview that he decided to use first and last names with the same beginning sounds to make it easier to keep them straight in his own mind! To name a few:

Bruce Banner

Reed Richards

Sue Storm

Peter Parker

J. Jonah Jameson Jr.

Fin Fang Foom

Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling artfully named supporting characters using various literary devices. Here are a few examples of alliterative names in the series:

Luna Lovegood

Severus Snape

Salazar Slytherin

Godric Gryffindor

Helga Hufflepuff

Demonstrated by Ms. Rowling, the use of alliteration in literature helps readers remember characters in a story.

But writers can also use alliteration to emphasize a passage or develop a certain tone by repeating similar sounds. Let’s dive into some creative alliteration examples in literary classics.

Examples of Alliteration in Literature

In poetry and prose, alliteration and other sound devices like rhythm help create a tone or mood, suggest a tempo, and emphasize certain words or phrases.

Alliteration In Poetry

This following stanza of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge demonstrates his poetic use of sound-based literary devices in his work. Alliteration ties the words of the poem together as well as creating rhythmic and pleasant sounds:

“The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea.”

Alliteration helps to suggest an eerie rhythm of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “The Raven.” Notice the alliteration pairs in the first three stanzas:

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,…”

William Shakespeare used “f” sounds and “l” sounds to create images of death and life, respectively, in his prologue of “Romeo and Juliet”:

“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes; A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.”

Alliteration In Prose

In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Harper Lee used alliterative descriptions of families and places to emphasize the importance of these entities in her novel. With a heavy emphasis on “s” sounds, the town of Maycomb is described:

“…grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square… a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules… flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square…”

Alliteration In Speeches

Due to its rhetorical nature, alliteration appears in many famous speeches in which sound-based literary devices like alliteration help to set a tone.

For example, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address opens demanding attention with repetitive “f”sounds:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation…”

Another example is Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which emphasized his dream for his children by repeating the hard “c” sound:

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

These classic examples demonstrate that alliteration, used with other literary devices, helps readers develop sensory and emotional connections with words. That connection in turn helps to build a stronger understanding of the passages.

Ready to see how contemporary content writers artfully use alliteration to emotionally connect with their readers?

Examples of Alliteration in Content Marketing

We all know that the purpose of content marketing is to make a connection with our readers and inspire them to take action.

To that end, we’ve learned that we can use alliteration, power words, sensory words, and other writing devices and tools to create sensory and emotional connections with our readers. This emotional connection can help persuade our readers to take action.

Alliteration helps call attention to headlines, subheads, and email subject lines, but alliteration can also help to emphasize a point:

“Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words…” – Jon Morrow

Let’s feel the power of some alliterative subject lines:

Pack a Punch With Alliterative Headlines

Alliterative phrases in these headlines call attention to the message and emphasize their purpose through alliteration:

57 Metaphor Examples That’ll Pack Your Prose With Persuasion

Working From Home? 14 Sanity-Saving Tools (+35 Pro Tips)

How to Become a Freelance Writer, Starting from Scratch

And, this power words headline gets alliteration bonus points:

801+ Power Words That Pack a Punch and Convert like Crazy

The rapid-succession Pack-a-Punch and Convert-like-Crazy plosive alliteration combo exerts an authoritative influence of Power like the old one-two. (Hard beginning consonant sounds create a sense of authority, but more on that later.)

Stop Scanners with Alliterative Subheads

Subheads serve several purposes, primarily to help organize your content for the reader. Alliteration can stop “subhead scanners” in their tracks by eliciting an emotional connection through sound symbolism, like these:

This one demands attention:

Polish Your Post So It’s Smoother Than a Slip ‘n Slide – from How to Write a Blog Post in 2020: The Ultimate Guide

And this subhead…

Make Money by Creating Collateral for Content-Hungry Business – from How to Make Money Writing: 5 Ways to Get Paid to Write in 2020

…leads readers into this alliterative text:

“In the last five years, content marketing — this concept of creating valuable content to attract customers and build credibility and trust — has undoubtedly gone mainstream.”

Get Clever With Alliterative Calls to Action

Email subject lines that use alliteration spark a call to action by projecting a certain tone or mood, connecting with the reader on an emotional or sensory level.

Here are some clever alliterative subject lines of email received while sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic:

These alliteration examples show us how we can make a memorable impact by emphasizing a point or projecting a feeling or a mood.

Ready to put alliteration to the test? Let’s start with a little experiment.

Alliteration: Testing the Tone

But how can we use alliteration in content writing to be more persuasive and memorable?

Circling back to the concept of sound symbolism, we learned that sounds have inherent meanings. Let’s see how effective those inherent meanings are when they’re emphasized in alliterative phrases.

If you recall, we recognized the strength of the alliterative beginning word sounds in:

801+ Power Words That Pack a Punch and Convert like Crazy

But not all sounds are created equally.

To demonstrate, we’ve replaced the original alliteration with other alliterative words that express a similar concept:

XX Power Words That’ll Steal the Show and Woo like Wonder

Our revised alliterative headline falls flat because sibilant “s” and airy “w” sounds aren’t as authoritative as the original plosive “p” and hard “c” sounds.

Clearly, we need to pay attention to projected tones of sounds when using alliteration.

Alliteration Effects: How to Use Them

Reverse-engineering successful alliteration begins with understanding the effect of beginning word sounds.

Match the Sound to the Mood

Beginning consonant sounds are associated with a combination of two physical actions when we vocalize the sound:

Voiced or Voiceless (whether the vocal cords are used to make the sound), and

Fricatives vs. Stops (whether or not air is pushed from or stopped at the mouth).

Hard consonant sounds that are typically voiceless or stops, and will have a plosive sound that can elicit a sense of authority or abruptness.

Conversely, some soft consonant sounds are typically voiced or fricatives. They can be soft and breathy, eliciting a more soothing tone. Other soft consonant sounds like “s” or “z” are sibilant, suggesting malice or slyness.

Alliteration Tip #1:

A key to successful use of alliteration is to match the effect of beginning sounds of words to project the desired effect of your writing.

Test Out A Tool

Stuck for an alliteration?

Poem Generator has several writing aids to suggest phrases or passages to writers. Among these tools is an Alliteration Generator. Simply key in a word or sentence that you’d like to alliterate, and the generator returns a list of options.

We tested the tool by entering:

“Let the tool do the work.”

Our results included several options including:

“Let the tired, trustworthy tool do the wooden, witty work.”

Obviously, a tool doesn’t possess your creativity and judgement, so use it as an aid instead of an end. Results vary!

Alliteration Tip #2:

Solicit the help of alliteration generators to suggest alliterative words, but remember that your creativity far outweighs any software program.

Give It a Go, But Don’t Go Gaga

Once you get the hang of alliteration, you may be tempted to use it more often than you should. Don’t!

Simply said, sentences with a surplus of similar sounds will sound silly and somewhat stupid!

Alliteration Tip #3:

Don’t go overboard with alliteration in your writing. Like all powerful tools, you need to use alliteration sparingly.

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Add Alliteration to Your Toolkit

Ready to make better connections with your readers?

Draw your inspiration from these alliteration examples to help your readers feel the effect of your message.

Remember, alliteration is all about sound. Sound can help you emphasize a key point or convey a tone by deliberately selecting suitable words. Make a sensory impact by selecting beginning word sounds for their symbolism and repeating them to intensify the effect.

Then, take pride in your work’s alliterative transition from:

dull to dramatic,

trite to tantalizing or

boring to badass!

You get the idea!

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