The repetition of consonant sounds is called consonance. Some sources define assonance as any repetition of sounds close to each other, but American English conventions limit the definition of assonance to include only vowel sounds. What’s the difference between assonance, consonance, and alliteration? Assonance vs. Use it when you feel that a poetic touch could add something to your writing. As with any literary device, too much of it will come off as gimmicky or annoying. Threading assonance through your writing creates interesting, attention-grabbing turns of phrase. Poetic prose: Poetic rhythm and musicality don’t have to be limited to poetry. The assonant words in this verse are “age,” “rave,” “day,” and “rage.” These four words tell the reader a lot about the mood and the message of the poem. Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Old age should burn and rave at close of day Think about this phrase: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Can you feel the eeky squeal of the squeaky wheel?Įmphasis: Assonance can alert a reader to crucial words throughout the work. A double “o” sound is spooky a double “e” is screeching. Mood: Repeated vowels also have a psychological effect on the reader and can generate a certain mood. Even though “room” and “tune” don’t technically rhyme, their vowel sounds are close enough that they create a similar effect. Pushing all these sounds close together places the listener, or the reader, in the claustrophobic party scene that Lamar inhabits. The “oo” sound repeated in the words “room,” “tunes,” and “soon” not only creates a rhythm but also generates a sense of urgency. “I was in a dark room, loud tunes, looking to make a vow soon.” -Kendrick Lamar, “Swimming Pools (Drank)” Since assonance is looser than a rhyme, it creates a rhythm without being overbearing. Hip-hop lyrics lean heavily on assonance because of their generally tight structure and fast pace. Rhythm: Assonance is most commonly used to create rhythm. Assonance can also be sprinkled throughout prose to stress certain words, build a mood, and give prose a poetic quality. That’s why you’ll find many examples of assonance in poems and song lyrics. “Heir” and “bear” rhyme, but they are aided by the repetition of the “eh” sound in “tender” and “memory.” 4 ways assonance is used in writingĪs a literary device, the main job of assonance is to create rhythm. For example, in this line from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 1”: But assonance is also a way for writers to create rhythm and repetition without rhyming. The “ai” sound is repeated to make a catchy phrase, and it happens to rhyme. And sometimes assonance creates outright rhymes, as it does in this expression: Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly What is assonance?Īssonance is sometimes called “vowel rhyme” because its effect on a reader is similar to that of a rhyme.
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