Using alliteration for sound echoes and for fun

In case you haven’t had a chance to experiment with alliteration, here are two types to practice in poems or when you want to turn up the audio for emphasis or humor in other genres of writing.

Assonance – This type of alliteration with vowels is more subtle than consonance, which is more subtle than rhyme. If words end in a vowel, they might rhyme too, but assonance typically comes in the sound of vowels at the beginning of the words or inside them.

For example, read the following question aloud and listen for the repetition of the uuuu (ew,ew,ew) sound in every word but “as.”

Would you choose Hugh as true?

Consonance – The alliteration most people notice when they’re reading is consonance where two or more words in close proximity begin with the same consonant.

Generally, the repetition of two or three consonants on one line lend musicality to a poem. As you read the following, listen especially for the echoing m, r, and g.

…the murmuring sounds of morning

Like end-line and internal rhymes, consonance emphasizes word, but much more subtly. A big exception is if you use multiple words with alliteration. Then you have a tongue twister, such as Suzy sells seashells by the seashore. Try saying that aloud a few times to see how long your tongue lasts without twisting!

Now, go back, reread that last sentence above and notice the alliterative use of l’s and t’s. You can slip that type of consonance into descriptive scenes in novels or other forms of fiction to add a touch of musicality. And, you can even use light alliteration in your nonfiction to lighten a mood.

As you increase sound echoes with consonance, you can increase the humor to a certain point before getting just plain silly:

Susie’s sale of seashells
makes no sense to me!
Why does she sell seashells
when, on the beach,
they’re free? 

poem and article by Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2016, 2019

The ABC's of Poetry: A Dictionary for Children and for Fun gives you A to Z definitions of poetry terminology, forms, and techniques with lines from the author, other contemporary poets, and classical works to illustrate each entry.  Use this hardback for lively learning in classrooms or with creative kids and poets of any age.


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Connecting humor with readers

The last two posting aimed to show you how to put the FUN back in funny, find Humor in the unfunny, and, hopefully, give you some serious ways to take your poetry into an entertainment mode.

Looking for levity as we write or revise our poems, not only lightens up our work, but uplifts our readers too. That thought alone connects us to other people, most of whom enjoy – or, more likely, need – a laugh, a chuckle to release pent-up emotions that build throughout the day.

Humor relieves tension.

Humor gives a cup of cool water on days when temperatures soar.

Humor evokes hope.

In the previous postings on humor, I used poems written from personal experience to illustrate the points I meant to make. The more you connect with those experiences or, perhaps, the more you can picture the scene portrayed, the more likely you’ll be to enjoy those particular poems.

As you recall your own experiences, think of episodes that did and did not seem amusing at the time.

Which episodes have you told your friends or family?

Which ones evoked laughter or made the best stories?

If you condense each experience into a poem, what are the highlights?

Will readers, who don’t know you, relate to the story?

For example, people who do their own laundry will eventually relate to this episode, which started as mine, but became theirs too - and maybe yours.


Whatever Happened to that Other Sock?
by Mary Harwell Sayler

Machines whet
no appetite
for socks. Washers,
dryers do not
eat the clothes
they clean, toss,
spin, or heat.
Sheets eat.
Sheets have pockets
where socks get stuck
and smother other
clothes in corners,
tucks, and all those
wildly billowing
pillowcases.
Face it! They're lace
faced animals!
Sheets are cannibals.


The above poem has been included in the Christian Poet’s Guide to Poetry – the e-book version of the poetry home study course Mary wrote when none existed and used for years in working with other poets and poetry students.

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©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler


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