Edit Article

Deciding on the Tone of the PoemChoosing Your AlliterationWriting the Alliteration Poem

Edited by Shina, Teresa, Anamika, Gaurang and 22 others

Alliteration is the repetition of two or more words with the same sound for each word. It's a powerful poetic technique that, when used correctly, can add a little spice to a poem. Usually to entertain, alliteration isn't so hard, but can be professionally done to make the poem flow, and cleverly written.

Ad

EditSample Poems

Sample Alliterative Poem

Sample Alliterative Quatrain

EditPart 1 of 3: Deciding on the Tone of the Poem

  1. 1
    Brainstorm the poem you want to write. This means thinking of what your poem is about. You can write down a general idea first. Then make it more specific, or make a brainstorming cloud/mind map, or you could even make a storyboard depending on the poem length. An alliteration poem can be serious or silly. Take these two examples:
    • Silly: "She sells seashells by the seashore"
    • Serious: "I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet" (a line of "Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Frost)
    Ad

EditPart 2 of 3: Choosing Your Alliteration

  1. 1
    Figure out what letter you want to use for the alliteration part. You can use any letter you want, but it's best to choose letters that have lots of words that start with them.
  2. 2
    Refer the dictionary for some words that start with that letter. Write down a list of words to get you started. Make sure to get a good mix of nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc. that you can refer to while you're writing your poem. You could also think of all of your surroundings starting with the same letter/sound that you're looking for.

EditPart 3 of 3: Writing the Alliteration Poem

  1. 1
    Begin with simple words. It's a good idea to start with a subject/noun, like a person, place or thing.
    • For example: Alison.
  2. 2
    Add a verb.
    • For example: Alison admired.
  3. 3
    Make a sentence out of the words chosen. Add more words that start with that letter.
    • For example: Alison always admired Amy's angelic a capella.
  4. 4
    Continue adding more lines to your poem. These lines can continue to be written in the letter you started in, or it can be switched to a new letter. For example:
    • Alison always admired Amy's angelic a capella.
      She sang sad songs on Saturdays.
  5. 5
    Add some poetic words. Simple words are great because they're easy to use; however, they can make your poem a tad too general and therefore dull. To spice up your poem, try finding more poetic or descriptive words. As well, think of who you want your audience to be, and who will really read it; for example, if your poem will be read by fifth-graders, it's probably not a good idea to throw in vocabulary they're not yet familiar with (or it'll just be confusing).
    • For example, instead of saying "sad" you could say "somber". Look up synonyms of basic words to find more poetic words to use, but this all depends on who your audience is.
      • Alison always admired Amy's angelic a capella.
        She sang somber songs on Saturdays.
    Ad
Add your own method
Save

EditTips

  • Don't use too many tough words; make sure it's something your audience can understand.
  • Short and simple is the best way to approach a problem.
  • Keep the poem short and sweet. Something too long can be time-consuming and the effect will be lost.
  • For added effect, make your poem rhyme.
    Rhyming poem
Ad

EditWarnings

  • Remember that it is the sound of the letter and not the letter itself in alliteration. For example: joke and giant.

EditRelated wikiHows

How to
Write a Poem About Nature

How to
Write a Haiku Poem

How to
Publish a Poem

How to
Write a Love Poem

How to
Write a Poem

EditSources and Citations


Article Info

Featured Article

Categories: Featured Articles | Poetry

Recent edits by: Olive48, Itnonseywork, Maluniu

Ad

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 30,202 times.

Was this article accurate?

YesNo

Contribute
to wikiHow!

Edit this article