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.

My Father Looks Like Frankenstein by Kenn Nesbitt
My Father Looks Like Frankenstein
Fearless Frederick by Kenn Nesbitt
Fearless Frederick
Melvin the Mummy by Kenn Nesbitt
Melvin the Mummy
When Flowers Wake Each Morning by Kenn Nesbitt
When Flowers Wake Each Morning
Payton the Painter by Kenn Nesbitt
Payton the Painter
Making Cakes by Kenn Nesbitt
Making Cakes
Mr. Brown the Circus Clown
Hap-the-Happy-Hyphenator by Kenn Nesbitt
Hap-the-Happy-Hyphenator
Banana Dan
Cats in the Kitchen
Snake Mistake
Jessica Jean by Kenn Nesbitt
Jessica Jean
My Penguin by Kenn Nesbitt
My Penguin
The Lamps Were All Delighted by Kenn Nesbitt
The Lamps Were All Delighted
Brand New Shoes by Kenn Nesbitt
Brand-New Shoes
Don’t Bring Camels in the Classroom
Our Mother Threw the Pie Away by Kenn Nesbitt
Our Mother Threw the Pie Away
Breakfast in Bed by Kenn Nesbitt
Breakfast in Bed
December I Went Shopping
Catastrophe
I Have Noodles in My Nostrils by Kenn Nesbitt
I Have Noodles in My Nostrils
Today I Touched the Buffalobster
If You Give a Mouse a Motorcycle
The Dancing Baboon of Djibouti