Alliteration, Consonance, Assonance, Rhyme (or Rime), Rhyming Scheme, Refrain

1. Musical Devices

2. Alliteration
O The repetition of initial consonant sounds
in a phrase, line of poetry or sentence.
 For Example
Water, water, everywhere
Nor a drop to drink.

3. Consonance
O The repetition of final consonant sounds
 For Example
slip − slop black − block
From Shelley’s “The Cloud”
I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,
From the seas and the streams;

4. Assonance
O The repetition of similar vowel sounds in
words or symbols.
 For Example
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are?

5. Rhyme (or Rime)
O The repetition of sounds at the end of
words.
 For Example
emotion − demotion
Tennyson’s “Ring out, wild bells”
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night--
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
(Sky − die, light − night, are rhyming words)

6. Rhyme Scheme
O It is regular pattern of rhyming words in a
poem.
 For Example
Tennyson’s “Ring out, wild bells”
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
a
The flying cloud, the frosty light: b
The year is dying in the night-- b
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
a

7. Refrain
O It is a regularly repeated line (word) or
group of lines (words) in a poem or song.
 For Example
Shakespeare’s Song in “As You Like It”
Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me,
And turn his merry note
Unto the sweet bird's throat,
Come hither, come hither, come hither: