Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound in a series of words. It is usually the first sound but can be sounds in other parts of the words.
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Alliteration is a type of figurative language in the English language.
She
sells seashells by the seashore.
In this example of alliteration, there are two sounds that are repeated:
- S
sound as in "sells"
- Sh sound as in "she"
You can find examples of alliteration in many places!
- poetry
- books
- advertising
- titles
- names
- and MORE!
Alliteration in poetry and books
Here are some examples of alliteration in popular poems and books:
- I have stood
still
and stopped
the sound
of feet
(from "Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Frost)
- And the silken
sad
uncertain
rustling
of each purple curtain
(from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe)
- So we beat
on, boats
against the current, borne
back
ceaselessly into
the past.
(from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald)
- The Teeny Tiny Teacher,
a children's book by Stephanie Calmenson
- Bugs
Bunny
- Mickey
Mouse
- Peter
Pan
- Betty
Boop
- Willy
Wonka
- Severus
Snape
(Harry Potter series)
- Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter series)
Alliteration as tongue twisters
Tongue twisters are a great way to learn about alliteration.A tongue twister is a phrase that is hard to say. Tongue twisters are fun and a good way to teach proper speaking.
Here are two tongue twisters that are popular nursery rhymes for children.
Try reading these aloud!
Peter
Piper
Notice
the "p" and "ck" sounds in the following tongue twister.
peck = an amount of something
Peter Piper = a person's name
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?
Betty Botter
Notice the "b", "t", and "er" sounds in this one.
bitter = bad taste
batter = a mixture of flour, egg, milk, and other ingredients
(cake batter, pancake batter, bread batter)
Betty Botter = a person's name
Betty Botter bought some butter,
but, she said, the 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.
peck = an amount of something
Peter Piper = a person's name
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?
Betty Botter
Notice the "b", "t", and "er" sounds in this one.
bitter = bad taste
batter = a mixture of flour, egg, milk, and other ingredients
(cake batter, pancake batter, bread batter)
Betty Botter = a person's name
Betty Botter bought some butter,
but, she said, the 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.
Alliteration in advertising
Alliteration is common in advertising because it grabs your attention and is easy to remember.Here are a few popular brands that use alliteration in their names.
- Bed,
Bath,
& Beyond
- Dunkin
Donuts
- Best
Buy
- American
Apparel
- American
Airlines
- Weight
Watchers
- Coca-Cola
- Roto-Rooter
- Krispy
Kreme
- Captain
Crunch
- Baby
Back
Ribs
- PayPal
(website)
- YouTube
(website)
- StubHub (website)
Here are some popular advertising slogans that use alliteration.
- Don't
dream
it. Drive
it.
(Jaguar)
- Intel
Inside
(Intel)
- You'll never put a better bit
of butter
on your knife
(Country Life Butter)
- The best
four by
four by
far
(Land Rover)
- Welcome
to the World
Wide
Wow
(AOL)
Many popular sports teams use alliteration in their names.
- Los
Angeles Lakers
- Seattle
Seahawks
- Buffalo
Bills
- Pittsburgh
Pirates
- San Antonio Spurs
More alliteration!
Can you find more examples of alliteration?
Here are some places to look for alliteration!
- book titles
- band names
- song titles
- newspaper headings and titles
- popular sayings
- movie titles
- events
- television shows
- candy names
This was an overview of alliteration. Now that you understand, it is time to practice! Get our ESL Books.
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