Alliteration Examples and Activities
Welcome to ReadingVine’s library of resources for alliteration examples and activities!
What is alliteration?
Alliteration is the repetition of an initial sound at the beginning of words that exist within close proximity to one another.
These often appear in “tongue twisters” that pose a challenge for our expression and rate of speech. They can be fun to read and fun to create!
Examples
In poetry, alliteration can contribute to the rhythm and pacing of a poem. It can also make a poem more memorable and fun. Let’s see how they look in some famous examples and some poems in ReadingVine’s collection.
In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” he writes,
“He holds him with his skinny hand,
‘There was a ship,’ quoth he…
In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
It perched for vespers nine…”
In this stanza, the first verse has a repeated “h” sound across five words in the first verse. This is alliteration.
In Robert Frost’s “The Line Gang,” the poet writes,
“They string an instrument against the sky
Wherein words whether beaten out or spoken
Will run as hushed as when they were a thought.”
In the second verse of this stanza, the “w” sound repeats three times to create an alliterative effect.
In Emma Lazarus’s poem, “The New Colossus,” she writes,
“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch…”
Lazarus uses a repeated “s” sound in the third verse to implement alliteration.
In poetry, alliteration can produce sound that emphasizes a certain mood. For instance, do the sounds make a harsh noise or one that’s soothing and sweet?
Noting these details can help poets write better poetry and help learners master sound devices.
Alliteration Printable Activities (PDFs)
This printable alliteration anchor chart is a great resource for students to use in the classroom or at home!
Underline the letters in each line of the poem that help create alliteration.
Students will read each sentence and add a word to fill in the blank and create alliteration.
In this activity, students will read each sentence and circle the words that begin with the same sound. Then, they will write the sound in the provided space.
Here, students will fill in the blank with the right word to create alliteration using the word bank.
Practice understanding the words that contain alliteration in each sentence. Remember to review sentences carefully!
Students will read the Mother Goose Rhyme, then circle the letters in each verse that create alliteration. Next, students will describe what the poem means and answer the related questions.
Students will read the rhyme and circle the letters that make up alliteration in each verse. Then, students will describe the meaning of the poem and answer related questions.
This exercise will challenge your students' abilities to recognize patterns and create word groups. Students will practice determining words that share the same initial sound based on the given word chart.