SOUNDS In POETRY

GROUP 4
Alliteration, Assonance, and Consonance
Cacophony and Euphony
Onomatopoeia

Rhyme and Rhythm

> Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds at
the beginning of words in close proximity.

Examples: He was a bouncing baby boy.

We sat, still and silent.
> Assonance
The repetition of similar vowel sounds in
different words in close proximity.

Examples: The deep green sea.

Under the sun.
> Consonance
The repetition of similar consonant sounds,
especially at the ends of words.

Examples: lost / past

confess / dismiss
middle / muddle
> Cacophony
• Harsh, unpleasant sounds that are used in poetry to
create some effect.
• To create sounds appropriate for the poem, the poet
may sometimes prefer to achieve a cacophonous
effect instead of the more commonly used euphony.
• The use of words with the consonants d, b, k and p,
for example, produce harsher sounds than the soft f
and v or the liquid l, m and n.
Examples: The canon cracked.
Dark broken branches
> Euphony
• Soothing, pleasant, harmonious sounds, especially
words spoken in combination.
• Often uses long vowels, harmonious consonants such
as “l, m, n, r”, and soft “f” and “v’ sounds that are
more melodious.
• Also uses soft consonants or semi-vowels “w”, “s”, “y”
and “th” or “wh” extensively to create more pleasant
sounds.
Examples: Success is counted sweetest.
The wind whispered softly.
> Onomatopoeia
The use of words to imitate the
sounds they describe.

Examples: snap, crackle, pop, buzz, boom

 > Rhythm
• The recurrence of accent or stress in lines of
verse.
• Often referred to as the beat or meter of a
poem.
Example:
 > Rhyme
• End Rhyme – when the last word of two or more
lines in the same stanza rhyme
• Rhyme Scheme – the pattern of end rhyme
• Internal Rhyme – rhyme occurring within a line
of poetry
• Loose Rhyme – also known as near rhyme or
imperfect rhyme, this tem refers to words that
almost rhyme.