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:

When nearby words start with the same consonants and the same sounds, such as “dancing dogs”, or “big boys.”
When nearby words start with different consonants but the same sounds, such as “cats and kittens” or “jungle gym.”
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.

This Morning Is Our History Test
Please Don't Read this Poem by Kenn Nesbitt
Please Don’t Read This Poem
Snow's Nose by Kenn Nesbitt
Snow’s Nose
Hannah’s Hammer
My Kitten Had an Accident
It’s Lonely as a Boa
Penny Parker's Pencil by Kenn Nesbitt
Penny Parker’s Pencil
My Mother Said to Do My Chores by Kenn Nesbitt
My Mother Said to Do My Chores
The Geese Are Honking Overhead by Kenn Nesbitt
The Geese Are Honking Overhead
Frank the Friendly Alien
It’s Winter Vacation
I Let My Mind Wander
Springy Sidewalk
Help! by Kenn Nesbitt
Help!
I like It When It's Quiet by Kenn Nesbitt
I Like It When It’s Quiet
I Taught My Cat to Clean My Room
How Not to Cook by Kenn Nesbitt
How Not to Cook
Merlo the Magnificent
The School Year Is Over by Kenn Nesbitt
The School Year Is Over
The Monster Mattress Superstore by Kenn Nesbitt
The Monster Mattress Superstore
Today I Have a Toothache by Kenn Nesbitt
Today I Have a Toothache
I Washed Our Dad’s Car
The Biggest Burp Ever
A Christmas Dream by Kenn Nesbitt
A Christmas Dream

Let's Work Together...

...to improve kids' literacy. Nobody pays me to do this. I do it to help kids fall in love with reading. But I need your help.

Become a member to for as little as $1/month to help me create the resources you need for the young readers in your life!

I Already Joined - Log In Sorry, Not Today