Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of two or more nearby words, such as the soft sighing of the sea. It is a sound device rather than a meaning device. Its job is to draw the ear to a phrase and to bind words together.

The particular sound often supports the mood: harsh sounds can feel aggressive, while gentle ones feel soothing. Alliteration is common in poetry, headlines, slogans and speeches, wherever a writer wants a phrase to stick in the reader's memory.

Alliteration is easy to spot in the reading and Literature papers, but it earns marks only when you explain the effect of the particular sound. Naming it is not enough. Linking the sound to mood or emphasis shows real analysis.

In descriptive and persuasive writing, occasional alliteration can make a phrase memorable. Piling it on quickly sounds forced and childish.

"The wind wailed and whipped across the wide, wet moor" repeats the w sound to make the gusts feel relentless and to draw the ear across the line.

Quote the alliterative phrase, identify the repeated sound, and explain what that sound suggests: harsh, soft, rushing, heavy. Connect it to the mood or the idea being emphasised rather than stopping at the label. In your own writing, use it once for a deliberate effect, then let it go.

The technique feels controlled rather than a distracting tongue-twister.

You may also find Writing a literature essay and Writer's effects under time useful. Next, visit our skills guides for IGCSE English to see terms like this used in real answers. Our IGCSE English tuition page explains how lessons run. When you are ready, the paid one-hour trial is the first step.