Which sentence uses alliteration?

Which sentence uses alliteration?

• A. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
• B. To be or not to be, that is the question.
• C. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
• D. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Answer: (D)

Alliteration is when the same initial consonant sound repeats in nearby words. This sentence stacks several words that start with the same sound, creating that repeating pattern: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. The repetition of the “p” sound at the starts of Peter, Piper, picked, peck, pickled, and peppers is what marks it as alliteration, giving it a musical, tongue-twisty rhythm. The other sentences don’t rely on repeating initial sounds in adjacent words. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog is a pangram built to use many letters rather than repeat a sound at the start of consecutive words. To be or not to be emphasizes rhythm and word choice rather than initial-consonant repetition, and a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step presents meaning in a proverb form without the repeated starting sounds.

Alliteration is when the same initial consonant sound repeats in nearby words. This sentence stacks several words that start with the same sound, creating that repeating pattern: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. The repetition of the “p” sound at the starts of Peter, Piper, picked, peck, pickled, and peppers is what marks it as alliteration, giving it a musical, tongue-twisty rhythm.

The other sentences don’t rely on repeating initial sounds in adjacent words. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog is a pangram built to use many letters rather than repeat a sound at the start of consecutive words. To be or not to be emphasizes rhythm and word choice rather than initial-consonant repetition, and a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step presents meaning in a proverb form without the repeated starting sounds.