poetic device: Alliteration

Alliteration is not when words start with the same letter but, rather, when the first stressed (or accented) syllable of two nearby words begin with the same consonant sound. This means that there are basically three types of alliterations:

  1. When nearby words start with the same consonants and the same sounds, such as “dancing dogs”, or “big boys.”
  2. When nearby words start with different consonants but the same sounds, such as “cats and kittens” or “jungle gym.”
  3. When nearby words start with different sounds, but have the same sounds at the beginning of their first stressed syllable, such as “normal banana” (which each have an “n” sound on the first stressed syllable) or “regular karate” (which each have an “r” sound on the first stressed syllable).

These poems include alliterations. Some may have just a single alliteration within the poem, while others may include dozens of alliterations.

When Otto Got a Hot Dog by Kenn Nesbitt
When Otto Got a Hot Dog
Jim Sox by Kenn Nesbitt
Jim Sox
Dizzy Dottie’s Dog Salon
Terrible Dream by Kenn Nesbitt
Terrible Dream
Willie's Wart by Kenn Nesbitt
Willie’s Wart
The Technobabylonians
The Technobabylonians
We Give Each Other Cuckoo Clocks
Going Nowhere Slowly by Kenn Nesbitt
Going Nowhere Slowly
When Daniel Went Dancing by Kenn Nesbitt
When Daniel Went Dancing
To Learn to Juggle Prickly Pears by Kenn Nesbitt
To Learn to Juggle Prickly Pears
Sam Who Only Ate Jam by Kenn Nesbitt
Sam, Who Only Ate Jam
The Bagel Bird
Frog Ball
Bouncing Brianna
I Made a Hat by Kenn Nesbitt
I Made a Hat
Patricia Brought Her Parakeet by Kenn Nesbitt
Patricia Brought Her Parakeet
I Sat Down on a Seesaw by Kenn Nesbitt
I Sat Down On a Seesaw
New Computer by Kenn Nesbitt
New Computer
Broccoli for Breakfast by Kenn Nesbitt
Broccoli for Breakfast
Abrocat the Acrobat
Arthur the Artist
Shelley Sellers by Kenn Nesbitt
Shelley Sellers
Levitating Lester by Kenn Nesbitt
Levitating Lester
The Gorgon Sisters