Which term describes repeating consonant sounds at the beginning of words?

Which term describes repeating consonant sounds at the beginning of words?

• A. Assonance
• B. Metonymy
• C. Synecdoche
• D. Alliteration

Answer: (D)

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of neighboring words. This device gives a line rhythm and emphasis, as in “Sally sells seashells by the seashore,” where the repeated “s” sound stands out. Other terms involve different sound patterns or figurative substitutions. Assonance repeats vowel sounds within nearby words, not the initial consonants, like in “the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” Metonymy uses a closely linked name to stand in for something (for example, referring to the monarchy as “the crown” or the government as “the White House”). Synecdoche uses a part to represent the whole or the whole to represent a part, such as calling workers “hands” or saying a car is “new wheels.” So, when the clue points to repeating consonant sounds at the starts of words, you’re identifying alliteration.

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of neighboring words. This device gives a line rhythm and emphasis, as in “Sally sells seashells by the seashore,” where the repeated “s” sound stands out.

Other terms involve different sound patterns or figurative substitutions. Assonance repeats vowel sounds within nearby words, not the initial consonants, like in “the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” Metonymy uses a closely linked name to stand in for something (for example, referring to the monarchy as “the crown” or the government as “the White House”). Synecdoche uses a part to represent the whole or the whole to represent a part, such as calling workers “hands” or saying a car is “new wheels.”

So, when the clue points to repeating consonant sounds at the starts of words, you’re identifying alliteration.