Which term describes repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase?

Which term describes repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase?

• A. Consonance
• B. Alliteration
• C. Assonance
• D. Harmony

Answer: (A)

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds within nearby words, anywhere in the words rather than just at the starts. This creates a subtle rhythm or texture in a phrase. For example, in the line “The hiss of the snakes,” the repeating s sound links the words and adds a musical feel. This differs from alliteration, which focuses on repeating consonant sounds at the beginnings of words, like “silky sands.” It also differs from assonance, which repeats vowel sounds, as in “the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” Harmony isn’t used here as a term for a sound device in language.

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds within nearby words, anywhere in the words rather than just at the starts. This creates a subtle rhythm or texture in a phrase. For example, in the line “The hiss of the snakes,” the repeating s sound links the words and adds a musical feel.

This differs from alliteration, which focuses on repeating consonant sounds at the beginnings of words, like “silky sands.” It also differs from assonance, which repeats vowel sounds, as in “the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” Harmony isn’t used here as a term for a sound device in language.