Assonance and Consonance

Unlock the hidden treasures of literary sound devices with our comprehensive guide on assonance and consonance. These poetic techniques can make your writing more rhythmic, musical, and memorable. Whether you’re a budding writer or a seasoned pro, we’ve got you covered with unique examples and foolproof writing tips.

What is Assonance and Consonance? – Definition

Assonance and consonance are poetic devices used to create a musical quality in writing. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words, while consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds at the end or middle of words. Both add a lyrical flair to prose or poetry, enriching the reader’s experience.

What is the best Example of Assonance and Consonance?

One of the best examples that incorporate both assonance and consonance is the line from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”: “And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain.” In this line, the “ur” sound is repeated, creating assonance, and the “s” and “n” sounds are repeated, creating consonance. This combination creates a haunting, musical effect that heightens the atmosphere of the poem.

100 Assonance and Consonance Examples

Dive into the captivating world of assonance and consonance with our extensive list of 100 examples. Elevate your writing skills and harness the power of these linguistic tools to create a poetic atmosphere, drawing readers into your narrative. Whether in literature, songs, or everyday speech, these techniques resonate universally. Below you’ll find 100 unique, distinct, and best examples to inspire you.

1. “She sells sea shells” – Consonance with ‘s’
2. “The rain in Spain” – Assonance with ‘ai’
3. “Black bug’s blood” – Consonance with ‘b’
4. “Fleet feet sweep by sleeping geese” – Assonance with ‘ee’
5. “Hear the mellow wedding bells” – Assonance with ‘e’
6. “Mice are nice” – Assonance with ‘i’
7. “How now brown cow” – Assonance with ‘ow’
8. “Willy Nilly” – Consonance with ‘l’
9. “Deep into the darkness peering” – Consonance with ‘d’
10. “I feel the need, the need for speed” – Assonance with ‘ee’
11. “Old age should burn and rave” – Assonance with ‘a’
12. “No pain, no gain” – Assonance with ‘a’
13. “A quiet quite hum” – Consonance with ‘t’
14. “The crumbling thunder of seas” – Consonance with ‘r’
15. “Do not go gentle into that good night” – Consonance with ‘t’
16. “Shall shine from shore to shore” – Assonance with ‘o’
17. “Swiftly shifting” – Consonance with ‘s’
18. “She was a blithe young thing” – Assonance with ‘i’
19. “Betty Botter bought some butter” – Consonance with ‘t’
20. “Blow the slow wind” – Assonance with ‘o’
21. “Over the cobblestones” – Consonance with ‘o’
22. “Go and mow the lawn” – Assonance with ‘o’
23. “Hush! Hear the flush of footsteps” – Consonance with ‘sh’
24. “The dripping droplets” – Assonance with ‘i’
25. “Wild and woolly” – Assonance with ‘oo’
26. “Those lonely, lovely woods” – Consonance with ‘l’
27. “Hickory Dickory Dock” – Consonance with ‘k’
28. “Sky high, so am I” – Assonance with ‘i’
29. “In a clammy calm, he clammed up” – Consonance with ‘m’
30. “A penny saved is a penny earned” – Assonance with ‘e’
31. “Seven silver swans swam” – Consonance with ‘s’
32. “Tender tendrils twist” – Assonance with ‘e’
33. “Shiny shoes should show” – Consonance with ‘sh’
34. “He had a knack for nicking things” – Assonance with ‘i’
35. “The dog dug deep” – Consonance with ‘d’
36. “Night lights are never nice” – Assonance with ‘i’
37. “Tightly twisting” – Consonance with ‘t’
38. “Break the brake” – Assonance with ‘a’
39. “Drowsy days drag on” – Consonance with ‘d’
40. “A stitch in time saves nine” – Assonance with ‘i’
41. “Cold gold sold” – Consonance with ‘o’
42. “The early bird catches the worm” – Assonance with ‘e’
43. “Little light is lit” – Consonance with ‘l’
44. “Heaven’s heavy” – Assonance with ‘e’
45. “Sticks and stones” – Consonance with ‘s’
46. “Beyond the blinding blizzard” – Assonance with ‘o’
47. “Thick thorny thickets” – Consonance with ‘t’
48. “The fluffy bunny hopped” – Assonance with ‘u’
49. “Time flies when you’re having fun” – Consonance with ‘t’
50. “Cool blue hues” – Assonance with ‘oo’
51. “Dimly lit room” – Consonance with ‘m’
52. “Right as rain” – Assonance with ‘i’
53. “Swans swim so swiftly” – Consonance with ‘s’
54. “The cake was a fake” – Assonance with ‘a’
55. “Bouncing basketballs” – Consonance with ‘b’
56. “Ice and fire” – Assonance with ‘i’
57. “Gloomy rooms assume” – Consonance with ‘m’
58. “Bliss is this” – Assonance with ‘i’
59. “String a strong string” – Consonance with ‘str’
60. “Cut the clutter” – Assonance with ‘u’
61. “The wind whined while whirling” – Consonance with ‘w’
62. “Blackjack and knick-knack” – Assonance with ‘a’
63. “She sells sea shells” – Consonance with ‘s’
64. “Meet me in the middle” – Assonance with ‘e’
65. “Last but not least” – Consonance with ‘l’
66. “Blue sky by the bay” – Assonance with ‘y’
67. “Crashing through the crest” – Consonance with ‘c’
68. “Knee-deep in sheep” – Assonance with ‘ee’
69. “Many mumbling mice” – Consonance with ‘m’
70. “Time flies like an arrow” – Assonance with ‘i’
71. “Pure pleasure” – Consonance with ‘p’
72. “Bold as a bear” – Assonance with ‘o’
73. “Mighty like a mountain” – Consonance with ‘t’
74. “Fickle finger of fate” – Assonance with ‘i’
75. “He holds his home” – Consonance with ‘h’
76. “Give me the gift” – Assonance with ‘i’
77. “Feel the heat” – Consonance with ‘e’
78. “Moss-covered stones” – Assonance with ‘o’
79. “Smart and snappy” – Consonance with ‘s’
80. “A cat sat on a mat” – Assonance with ‘a’
81. “Dreams of gleaming streams” – Assonance with ‘ea’
82. “Thick and thin” – Consonance with ‘th’
83. “Hear the lark hark” – Assonance with ‘ea’
84. “Bang the drum” – Consonance with ‘b’
85. “High as a kite” – Assonance with ‘i’
86. “Green as a bean” – Consonance with ‘ee’
87. “Rise like the tide” – Assonance with ‘i’
88. “Smooth moves” – Consonance with ‘oo’
89. “Lean and mean” – Assonance with ‘ea’
90. “Gory glory” – Consonance with ‘g’
91. “Do or die” – Assonance with ‘o’
92. “Busy as a bee” – Consonance with ‘b’
93. “Beat the heat” – Assonance with ‘ea’
94. “Fill the hill” – Consonance with ‘ll’
95. “Dark and stark” – Assonance with ‘ar’
96. “Wear and tear” – Consonance with ‘ea’
97. “Fly by night” – Assonance with ‘y’
98. “Go for gold” – Consonance with ‘go’
99. “Fine wine” – Assonance with ‘i’
100. “Hit or miss” – Consonance with ‘i’

For those particularly interested in poetry, exploring assonance in poetry can provide deeper insights into how these sound devices enhance the beauty of verses.

By incorporating these assonance and consonance examples into your own works, you can craft sentences and phrases that resonate deeply with your readers. These literary devices aren’t just for poets or songwriters; they can bring a rhythmic flow and textual harmony to any form of written or spoken communication. So go ahead, give it a try and enrich your language skills.

What is the Difference Between Assonance and Consonance?

Assonance and consonance are both poetic devices used to create a musical quality in language. But while they may seem similar at a glance, they serve distinct functions and are used for different effects.

Assonance

Assonance example is a figurative term used to describe the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words of a line of text. This is usually noticeable when the words are found close to one another. Similar to alliteration, it has the ability to affect the rhythm, tone, and mood of a piece. For example, in the phrase “How now brown cow,” the vowel ‘o’ repeats in the words “how,” “now,” “brown,” and “cow.” The repetition of vowel sound creates a rhyme that suits poetry perfectly as well. For students looking to master this technique, our assonance for students page is a valuable resource.

Examples:

“He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

— Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost

In this example, it is clear that the repetition of vowel sounds can be found towards the end of each line. But what most people fail to notice is how repetition occurs in the middle of some lines of text as well. Assonance adds depth to the poetic piece, making it more appealing to readers.

“The moon, like a flower
In heaven’s high bower,
With silent delight,
Sits and smiles on the night.”

— Songs of Innocence, by William Blake

“The babymoon, a canoe, a silver papoose canoe, sails and sails in the Indian west.
A ring of silver foxes, a mist of silver foxes, sit and sit around the Indian moon.
One yellow star for a runner, and rows of blue stars for more runners keep a line of watchers…”

— Early Moon, by Carl Sandburg

“I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless.”

— With Love, by Thin Lizzy

Consonance

Consonance refers to the repetition of consonant sounds within a word, but may also include the repetition of consonants either at the beginning or end of the word. For instance, in the phrase “pitter-patter,” the ‘t’ and ‘r’ sounds are repeated. Consonance is most apparent in tongue twisters, such as how ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.’ However, this is also common in everyday sentences, phrases, song lyrics, and in poems. After all, there’s no denying how consonance can make our language sound even more musical than it already is.

Keep in mind that consonance applies to words with repeating consonant sounds, which means these words do not need to have the same consonants. For instance, ‘f’ and ‘ph’ may consist of different letters, yet the two still produce the same sound. Like assonance, consonance is also considered to be alliterative. These words do not need to be next to each other, but relatively close to another for it to be clear.

Examples:

“I’ll swing by my ankles.
She’ll cling to your knees.
As you hang by your nose,
From a high-up trapeze.
But just one thing, please,
As we float through the breeze”

— Early Moon, by Carl Sandburg

It’s obvious that the ‘s’ sound is repeated at the end of each line, but notice how the long ‘e’ sound is used multiple times as well.

“Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste
Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat…”

— Paradise Lost, by John Milton

Let the boy try along this bayonet blade
How cold steel is, and keen with hunger of blood;
Blue with all malice, like a madman’s flash;
And thinly drawn with famishing for flesh.

— Arms and the Boy, by Wilfred Owen

“Nearly all joined in singing this hymn, which swelled high about the howling of the storm…”

— Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville

Assonance and Consonance in Poetry and Literature

Imagine how poetry and prose literature would be without hyperbole expressions, metaphors, and similes, or another figurative language. Plain? Dull? Lifeless? Or simply too boring for anyone to even bother reading it?

There are various reasons why writers make use of assonance and consonance for their creative pieces. For one thing, they add rhythm to one’s writing. These literary devices are used to entice a reader by making the piece sound catchy and interesting. It gives the reader a pleasurable experience by producing a musical effect with every word.

Assonance

“Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old-
This knight so bold-
And o’er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado…”

— Eldorado, by Edgar Allan Poe

The use of assonance can easily grab a person’s attention by keeping the reader more and more intrigued after every line. It sets the mood just right to create a deeper connection between the writer and the reader. Most songwriters use this as an opportunity to emphasize particular words, allowing listeners to spend more time sounding out and thinking about the word afterward. This is the perfect way to make a piece that’s worth remembering.

Consonance

“Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Through the windows—through doors—burst like a ruthless force,
Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation,
Into the school where the scholar is studying,
Leave not the bridegroom quiet—no happiness must he have now with his bride,
Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, ploughing his field or gathering his grain,
So fierce you whirr and pound you drums—so shrill you bugles blow.”

—  Beat! Beat! Drums!, by Walt Whitman

What makes this literary piece unique is how the use of consonance matches its content. It mimics the constant beating of the drum, which is noticeable even from the first line of text. It captures the intensity of every blow, leaving a reader in a dramatic trance.

Writers use consonance for one primary purpose, and that is to intensify the language. Notice how some of the biggest companies in the world take advantage of such to strengthen their corporate branding. Best Buy and Coca-Cola to name a few, both use alliterative consonance for effortless advertising. These company names consist of a repetition of consonant sounds that make them more memorable to customers, and in turn, more relevant in the industry they are in.

To poets, consonance can also be of great use to balance out the density of their literary pieces. It has the ability to slow down the reading process and encourage further comprehension instead. This allows readers to fully understand the deeper message that a writer is trying to convey. The excitement brought by this literary device acts as a thread that carries readers through the poem. It builds further anticipation after every line, allowing the reader to feel the desire and sensation to continue reading.

The function of assonance and consonance is widely-used by modern-day poets and novelists alike. These multifaceted literary devices provide depth and texture to one’s writing, which can greatly appeal to readers of any age. The frequent use of assonance and consonance contributes to the mood the writer wants the audience to feel as well. All of these make the writing and reading experience extra fun for writers and their respective audiences.

Key Differences

1. Type of Sound: Assonance involves vowel sounds, while consonance involves consonant sounds.
2. Position: In assonance, the repeated vowel sound can appear anywhere in the words, whereas consonance typically appears at the end or middle of the words.
3. Purpose: Assonance often creates a flowing, rhythmic quality. Consonance can create a sense of closure or resolve in a sentence or line.
4. Examples: Assonance is common in phrases like “try to light the fire,” whereas consonance can be seen in phrases like “blank and think.”

By understanding these differences, you can better identify each technique and apply them effectively in your writing.

How do you Practice Assonance and Consonance with Worksheets?

Practicing assonance and consonance can help enhance your literary skills. Worksheets are a practical tool for this. Here’s how to use them:

Step 1: Identify the Sounds

Start by listing vowel and consonant sounds you’d like to practice. Make separate columns for each on the worksheet.

Step 2: Create Sentences

For each sound, try to create a sentence that includes words with that sound. For example, for practicing assonance with the ‘e’ sound, you might write: “Every evening, he reads.”

Step 3: Analyze Examples

Include some famous quotes or lines from poems that use these techniques. Try to identify the assonant or consonant sounds within them.

Step 4: Swap Out Words

Take a sentence and try to replace words in it to create assonance or consonance. Observe how the sentence’s rhythm and mood change.

Step 5: Get Peer Feedback

Share your sentences with someone else. Sometimes, what seems like assonance or consonance to you might not resonate the same way with others.

Step 6: Revise and Polish

After receiving feedback, revise your sentences. Use this as an opportunity to fine-tune your understanding and usage of these poetic devices.

By consistently practicing with worksheets, you can become proficient in using assonance and consonance to enrich your writing.

How do you write Assonance and Consonance? – Step by Step Guide

Discover the art of enhancing your literary compositions with assonance and consonance. Whether you’re penning poetry, writing a song, or crafting prose, these techniques can inject musicality and depth into your work. Follow this structured guide to masterfully apply assonance and consonance.

Step 1: Define Your Objective Before you dive in, identify what you want to achieve. Whether it’s setting a mood or intensifying a message, knowing your objective will guide your choice of sounds.

Step 2: Pinpoint Suitable Sounds For assonance, select the vowel sounds you want to focus on; for consonance, pinpoint the consonant sounds. For instance, ‘oo’ could create a gloomy atmosphere, while ‘s’ might add a soft, whispering quality.

Step 3: Assemble a Vocabulary List Compile a list of words that feature your targeted sounds. This will act as a reservoir from which you can draw as you write.

Step 4: Compose with Care Start weaving your sentences, integrating words from your list. Aim for a natural inclusion of the targeted sounds, ensuring it doesn’t feel forced or overwhelming.

Step 5: Audit for Rhythm Read your composition aloud to sense the rhythm and flow. Make adjustments to optimize the auditory experience.

Step 6: Peer Review Seek opinions from other writers or trusted individuals who can provide constructive feedback on the effectiveness of your assonance and consonance usage.

Step 7: Fine-tune and Finalize Once you’re content with the integration of these poetic devices, fine-tune other elements like syntax and punctuation to create a polished masterpiece.

Tips for Using Assonance and Consonance

Integrate assonance and consonance seamlessly with these invaluable tips:

1. Be Subtle Remember, subtlety is key. Overuse can make your writing feel cluttered and confuse your audience.

2. Consider the Setting Assonance and consonance work best when they align with the tone or setting of your piece. Make sure they contribute meaningfully to your overall theme.

3. Play with Punctuation Creative use of punctuation marks like commas or semi-colons can emphasize your repeated sounds, making them more impactful.

4. Mix and Match While it’s okay to focus on one, blending assonance and consonance can produce a multi-layered, rich texture. Just ensure they’re in harmony.

5. Examine Established Works Gain inspiration and insights by studying pieces where these techniques are effectively employed. This could range from classic literature to modern songs.

6. Edit Rigorously Never settle for your first draft. The key to perfecting assonance and consonance is through rigorous editing and refining.

7. Be Adventurous Lastly, don’t hesitate to push boundaries. Experiment with diverse sounds and structures to discover what resonates best with your creative voice.

With these steps and tips at your disposal, you’re well-equipped to harness the power of assonance and consonance, enriching your writing and engaging your audience like never before.