3 TIPS ON CREATING ALLITERATIVE RHYMES

Alliteration refers to the repetition of the beginning sounds of words, as in "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" and "the fickle finger of fate" (Dictionary.com).

Rhyme refers to the correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, for example, "balloon" rhymes with "moon", "light" rhymes with "right".

When you put two or more words that begin with the same sound and end with the same vowel sounds, you get an alliterative rhyme, for example, "pleasure and pressure".

To create alliterative rhyme with ease, it will be helpful to understand suffixes, which are word endings that add a certain meaning to the word. For example, the suffix "-able" means 'able to be' and can be added to form words such as "excitable", "portable", "preventable".
(For more examples, click here) 

Such suffixes can be divided into two categories, those that change the word form (eg. from nouns into verbs) and those that don't. Here is a useful list of suffixes from Wikepedia

• -ise/-ize (usually changes nouns into verbs)
• -fy (usually changes nouns into verbs)
• -ly (usually changes adjectives into adverbs)
• -ful (usually changes nouns into adjectives)
• -able/-ible (usually changes verbs into adjectives)
• -hood (usually class-maintaining, with the word class remaining a noun)
• -ess (usually class-maintaining, with the word class remaining a noun)
• -ness (usually changes adjectives into nouns)
• -less (usually changes nouns into adjectives)
• -ism (usually class-maintaining, with the word class remaining a noun)
• -ment (usually changes verbs into nouns)
• -ist (usually class-maintaining, with the word class remaining a noun)
• -al (usually changes nouns into adjectives)
• -ish (usually changes nouns into adjectives/ class-maintaining, with the word class remaining an adjective)
• -tion (usually changes verbs into noun)
• -logy/-ology (usually class-maintaining, with the word class remaining a noun)

By making use of our knowledge of suffixes, we can easily create alliterative rhymes.

Here are 3 tips to creating alliterative rhymes.

1. Verbs + verbs
Put two 'ing' verbs together that begin with the same sound. 

Here are some examples:
striving and suffering for Christ
Puffing and panting
Moaning and muttering
Singing and smiling
Twisting and twirling
Whispering, whimpering

2. Adjective + adjective
Pair two adjectives that begin with the same sound and end with the same suffix to describe a noun.

Here are some examples: 
Beautiful and bountiful blessings
Faithful and fruitful servants of God
Grumpy and grouchy
Happy and healthy
Hapless and helpless
Sickening and saddening
Steadier and stronger
Slinky and slanky
Slanky and swanky
Bigger, better, bolder
Impassive and impressive
unchangeable and unstoppable

3. Adverb + adverb
Pair two adverbs ending with 'ly' that begin with the same sound to describe a verb.

Here are some examples:
The thief crept across the room silently and steadily.
He ate hurriedly and hungrily.
Clearly and calmly
Confidently and competently
Speedily and steadily
She prayed fervently and frequently.
Silently and swiftly
Specially and specifically
stoically and silently

I hope that you have found the tips useful. Do try and use alliterative rhymes in your speeches to create impact and lyrical beauty! Share with me your examples too!