ALLITERATION is a literary device that consists of the repetition of the initial sound in a group of nearby words. The term alliteration can only be applied to consonants. For example, "Mike's microphone makes much music".
The repetition of initial sounds in the phrase "wild and whirling words" is an example of alliteration. Alliteration is employed by authors in order to provide a melodic rhythm to a text. Alliteration happens when several words with the same consonant sounds appear close together. The device is common in both prose and poetry, and it is one of the most common literary devices in the English language.
