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.

This Morning Is Our History Test
The Pirate of Pickletown by Kenn Nesbitt
The Pirate of Pickletown
I like It When It's Quiet by Kenn Nesbitt
I Like It When It’s Quiet
My Dog Lives On the Sofa
I Let My Mind Wander
You’re Not Supposed to Touch Your Face
The Elephant Repairman by Kenn Nesbitt
The Elephant Repairman
I Got a New Game for My Brother by Kenn Nesbitt
I Got a New Game for My Brother
Please Don't Read this Poem by Kenn Nesbitt
Please Don’t Read This Poem
I Built a Big Building
My Kitten Had an Accident
While Strolling Down the Beach Today
The Geese Are Honking Overhead by Kenn Nesbitt
The Geese Are Honking Overhead
Belinda Bell
My Mother Said to Do My Chores by Kenn Nesbitt
My Mother Said to Do My Chores
How Not to Cook by Kenn Nesbitt
How Not to Cook
Frank the Friendly Alien
Hannah’s Hammer
Springy Sidewalk
Merlo the Magnificent
I Taught My Cat to Clean My Room
Today I Have a Toothache by Kenn Nesbitt
Today I Have a Toothache
Help! by Kenn Nesbitt
Help!
Thanksgiving Leftovers