Alliteration, Assonance & Lexical Chunks

1.Alliteration: The repetition of consonants within words in close proximity.

Don’t delay dawns disarming displayDusk demands daylight

Dewdrops dwell delicatelyDrawing dazzling delight

(Paul McCann, “Dewdrops Dancing Down Daisies”)

2. Assonance: The repetition of vowel-sounds within non-rhyming words.

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride

(Edgar Allan Poe, “Annabel Lee”)

3. Lexical chunk: A group of words commonly found together.

The sheer number of lexical chunks in natural language, and there is research that points out

some interesting evidence that chunks containing alliteration and assonance are everywhere and

have a significant mnemonic effect. In other words, they’re very common and easier to

remember. For example:First and foremost, commit a crime, tell a

tale, do damage vs. make a mess (something tells me these last two examples are purely accidental), fundamentally flawed (“badly

flawed” has far fewer Google occurrences), peer pressure, hit and miss, say a prayer,

high time…

A figure of speech is a rhetorical device that achieves a special effect by using words in

distinctive ways. Though there are hundreds of figures of speech here we'll focus on just 10 of the

most common figures.You will probably remember many of these terms from your English classes. Figurative Language is often associated with literature – and with poetry

in particular. But the fact is, whether we're conscious of it or not, we use figures of speech every day in our own writing and conversations.

For example, common expressions such as "falling in love," "racking our brains," "hitting a

sales target," and "climbing the ladder of success" are all metaphors – the most pervasive figure of all. Likewise, we rely on similes when

making explicit comparisons ("light as a feather") and hyperbole to emphasize a point ("I'm

starving!").Using original figures of speech in our writing is a way to convey meanings in fresh, unexpected

ways. Figures can help our readers understand and stay interested in what we have to say.

1. AlliterationThe repetition of an initial consonant sound.

2. AssonanceIdentity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words.

"I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless." (Thin Lizzy, With Love)

3. EuphemismThe substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit."Wardrobe malfunction." (Justin Timberlake's description

of his tearing of Janet Jackson's costume during a half-time performance at Super Bowl XXXVIII)

4. HyperboleAn extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.

"I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot, and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so

far." (Mark Twain, Old Times on the Mississippi)

5. IronyThe use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.“I've found that when you want to know the truth about someone that someone is probably the last

person you should ask." (Dr. House)

6. MetaphorAn implied comparison between two unlike things that actually have something important in common.

“Time rushes toward us with its hospital tray of infinitely varied narcotics, even while it is preparing

us for its inevitably fatal operation”. (Tennessee Williams, The Rose Tattoo)

7. ParadoxA statement that appears to contradict itself.

"War is peace." "Freedom is slavery." "Ignorance is strength." (George Orwell, 1984)

8. PunA play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.

"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." (Groucho Marx)

9. SimileA stated comparison (usually formed with "like" or "as") between two fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common."My face looks like a wedding-cake left out in the

rain." (W.H. Auden)

10. UnderstatementA figure of speech in which a writer or a speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.

"The grave's a fine and private place, but none, I think, do there embrace." (Andrew Marvell, To His Coy

Mistress)