LANGUAGE | ENGLISH
The Art of Scattered Alliteration
How one common device can be used to enhance your writing
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When I first learned of alliteration, it wasn’t a linguistic device that interested me much. When my middle school teachers spoke of “whispering winds and willows,” and all of the “seashells Sally sold by the seashore,” I couldn’t help but scoff and roll my eyes. Back then, writing wasn’t a hobby I ever dreamed of exploring.
Each time I heard an example of the device used, it came across as forced and sing-songy. It reeked of everything that the younger me found so objectionable about poetry.
Of course, I’ve heard my fair share of well-employed alliterations in the years since. But in my eyes, it’s a device that’s typically most effective in moderation.
The need for relative moderation doesn’t mean that the device’s calls to action are uncommon. In fact, there’s very little I write these days in which alliteration isn’t an underlying force.
In many types of writing, though, the more commonly recognized brand of alliteration can come across as contrived. Many might not consider op-eds, film reviews, and political pieces as conducive homes for alliterative language at…
