Sound Devices – Complete Guide | XAT Poem RC
πŸ”Š Category C β€’ The Music of Poetry

Sound Devices

Master the musical elements of poetry β€” how sounds create rhythm, mood, and meaning beyond the words themselves.

6 Devices
2 High Priority
60% XAT Frequency
Jump to: Alliteration β˜… Assonance Consonance Onomatopoeia β˜… Rhyme Rhythm

πŸ”Š Why Sound Devices Matter for XAT

Sound devices create the music of poetry. They affect how a poem sounds when read aloud, contributing to mood, emphasis, and memorability. XAT tests your ability to identify these patterns and explain their effects.

THE CORE PRINCIPLE

Sound devices work through repetition β€” of consonants, vowels, words, or patterns. This repetition creates rhythm, emphasis, and musical quality.

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Consonant Sounds

Alliteration, Consonance

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Vowel Sounds

Assonance

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Word Sounds

Onomatopoeia

🎡

Patterns

Rhyme, Rhythm

01
β˜… HIGH PRIORITY Most common sound device

Alliteration

/Ι™ΛŒlΙͺt.Ι™ΛˆreΙͺ.ΚƒΙ™n/ β€’ uh-lit-uh-RAY-shun
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Definition

Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words.

It creates rhythm, emphasizes words, and makes phrases memorable. Think of tongue twisters!

Etymology: From Latin ad (to) + littera (letter)

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The Pattern

Peter Piper Picked Pickled Peppers

Same starting consonant sound repeated in nearby words

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Examples with Analysis

Example 1 Edgar Allan Poe
β–Ό
“Deep into that darkness, doubting, dreaming”
Deep Darkness Doubting Dreaming

🎭 Effect:

The repeated “D” sound creates a drumbeat effect β€” dark, heavy, ominous. It mimics the slow, hesitant pace of someone entering darkness.

Example 2 Samuel Taylor Coleridge
β–Ό
“The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew”
Breeze Blew

🎭 Effect:

The soft “B” sounds create a gentle, breezy feeling β€” mimicking the actual sound and sensation of wind.

Example 3 Common Phrases
β–Ό
“She sells seashells by the seashore”

🎭 Effect:

The “S” sounds create a hissing, wave-like quality β€” mimicking the sound of the sea and shells.

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How to Identify Alliteration

1

Look at Word Beginnings

Focus on the first letter/sound of each word.

2

Listen for Repetition

Do multiple nearby words start with the same consonant sound?

3

Focus on SOUND, Not Spelling

“Knife” and “Night” don’t alliterate (different sounds).
“Cat” and “Kite” DO alliterate (same /k/ sound).

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XAT Exam Strategy

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Most tested sound device! Easy to spot β€” just check beginning consonants.

1

XAT asks about effect β€” how does the sound contribute to mood or meaning?

2

Hard sounds (B, D, K, P, T) = harsh, forceful. Soft sounds (S, L, M, F) = gentle, flowing.

02
β—† MEDIUM Vowel repetition

Assonance

/ˈæs.Ι™.nΙ™ns/ β€’ ASS-uh-nunce
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Definition

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words β€” the sounds can be anywhere in the word, not just at the beginning.

Creates internal rhyme and musical quality. Often more subtle than alliteration.

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Alliteration vs Assonance vs Consonance

Device What Repeats Where Example
Alliteration Consonant sounds Beginning of words Peter Piper
Assonance Vowel sounds Anywhere in words fleet feet
Consonance Consonant sounds Anywhere (usually end) luck strick
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Examples

Example 1 Edgar Allan Poe
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“Hear the mellow wedding bells”
mellow wedding bells

🎭 Effect:

The repeated “e” sound creates a ringing, bell-like quality β€” the sound mimics what’s being described!

Example 2 Common
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“The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain”
rain Spain mainly plain

🎭 Effect:

The long “a” sound creates a drawn-out, flowing quality β€” like the continuous fall of rain.

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XAT Exam Strategy

1

Assonance is harder to spot than alliteration β€” listen for repeated vowel sounds.

2

Long vowels (ā, Δ“, Δ«, ō, Ε«) = slow, mournful. Short vowels = quick, snappy.

03
β—‹ LOW Related to alliteration

Consonance

/ˈkΙ’n.sΙ™.nΙ™ns/ β€’ KON-suh-nunce
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Definition

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within nearby words β€” usually at the end or middle (not beginning).

Think of it as alliteration’s cousin β€” same concept (consonant repetition) but in different positions.

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Examples

Example 1 Common
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“Mike likes his bike“
Mike likes bike

πŸ” Notice:

The “k” sound repeats at the end of words, not the beginning. That’s consonance!

Example 2 Emily Dickinson
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“‘Twas later when the summer went“

🎭 Effect:

The repeated “t” sounds create a ticking, clock-like quality β€” emphasizing the passage of time.

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XAT Exam Strategy

1

Less commonly tested than alliteration. Just know the difference in position.

2

If consonant repeats at beginning = Alliteration. At end/middle = Consonance.

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β˜… HIGH PRIORITY Easy to identify

Onomatopoeia

/ΛŒΙ’n.Ι™.mΓ¦t.Ι™Λˆpiː.Ι™/ β€’ on-uh-mat-uh-PEE-uh
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Definition

Onomatopoeia is when a word sounds like what it describes β€” the pronunciation imitates the actual sound.

These words are “sound words” β€” they create vivid sensory experiences through their pronunciation.

Etymology: From Greek onoma (name) + poiein (to make) = “making names (from sounds)”

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Common Onomatopoeia by Category

πŸ’§ Water Sounds

splash, drip, gurgle, plop, ripple, swoosh

πŸ’₯ Impact Sounds

bang, crash, thud, smack, crack, boom

🐦 Animal Sounds

buzz, hiss, chirp, meow, roar, squeak

πŸ—£οΈ Human Sounds

whisper, murmur, giggle, gasp, sigh, snore

⚑ Mechanical Sounds

beep, click, clang, whir, zoom, tick

πŸ”₯ Fire/Air Sounds

crackle, sizzle, whoosh, hiss, pop, fizz

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Examples in Poetry

Example 1 Edgar Allan Poe – “The Bells”
β–Ό
“How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!”

🎭 Effect:

“Tinkle” sounds like the actual sound of small bells β€” light, high-pitched, metallic. The repetition creates the continuous ringing.

Example 2 Alfred Tennyson
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“The murmuring of innumerable bees”

🎭 Effect:

“Murmuring” with its repeated “m” and “r” sounds imitates the low, continuous humming of bees.

Example 3 Comic Books
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“POW! WHAM! CRASH! BANG!“

🎭 Effect:

Each word sounds like the impact it describes β€” sharp, explosive, violent. Creates immediate visceral impact.

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XAT Exam Strategy

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Easiest to identify! If the word sounds like what it describes, it’s onomatopoeia.

1

XAT asks: “What effect does onomatopoeia create?” β†’ It makes the scene vivid and sensory.

2

Creates immediacy β€” reader “hears” the sound while reading.

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β—† MEDIUM End sounds that match

Rhyme

/raΙͺm/ β€’ RIME
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Definition

Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds at the ends of words, usually at the end of lines in poetry.

Creates musicality, aids memorization, and links ideas together. The most recognizable sound device.

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Types of Rhyme

Perfect Rhyme

Exact sound match

cat/hat, love/dove, moon/June

Slant Rhyme

Near match (not perfect)

love/move, eyes/light, soul/all

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme within a line

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary“

End Rhyme

Rhyme at line ends

Most common type

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Common Rhyme Schemes

ABAB

Alternate

Lines 1&3, 2&4 rhyme

AABB

Couplet

Consecutive pairs rhyme

ABBA

Enclosed

Outer & inner pairs

ABCABC

Terza Rima

Interlocking tercets

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Example

ABAB Scheme Shakespeare – Sonnet 18
β–Ό
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? (A)
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: (B)
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, (A)
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: (B)

πŸ” The Pattern:

day/May (A rhyme), temperate/date (B rhyme). This ABAB pattern creates a pleasing alternation.

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XAT Exam Strategy

1

Identify rhyme scheme by labeling end words with letters (A, B, C…).

2

Rhyme creates unity, musicality, and emphasis on the rhyming words.

06
β—† MEDIUM The beat of poetry

Rhythm & Meter

/ˈrΙͺΓ°.Ι™m/ β€’ RITH-um
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Definition

Rhythm is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that creates the “beat” of a poem. Meter is a specific, regular rhythm pattern.

Like music, poetry has a beat. This beat affects pace, mood, and emphasis.

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Understanding Meter

Iambic Pentameter (most common in English poetry):

da DUM
da DUM
da DUM
da DUM
da DUM

Example: “Shall I comPARE thee TO a SUMmer’s DAY“

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Common Metrical Feet

Iamb (da-DUM)

Unstressed + Stressed

be-LIEVE, a-LONE, de-LIGHT

Trochee (DUM-da)

Stressed + Unstressed

GAR-den, NEV-er, HAP-py

Anapest (da-da-DUM)

2 Unstressed + Stressed

un-der-STAND, in-ter-VENE

Dactyl (DUM-da-da)

Stressed + 2 Unstressed

MER-ri-ly, BEAU-ti-ful

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XAT Exam Strategy

1

XAT rarely asks to identify specific meters. Focus on how rhythm affects mood.

2

Fast rhythm = excitement, urgency. Slow rhythm = solemnity, sadness.

3

Broken rhythm (irregularity) often signals tension or disruption.

πŸ“‹ Master Summary: All 6 Sound Devices

Device What Repeats Example
Alliteration β˜… Consonant at word START Peter Piper picked
Assonance Vowel sounds (anywhere) fleet feet
Consonance Consonant at word END luck strick
Onomatopoeia β˜… Word = Sound it makes buzz, crash, sizzle
Rhyme End sounds of lines day/May, love/dove
Rhythm Stressed/unstressed pattern da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM

πŸ§ͺ Quick Identification Flowchart

Does the word sound like what it describes?
YES β†’ ONOMATOPOEIA NO β†’ Continue ↓
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Do line endings sound similar?
YES β†’ RHYME NO β†’ Continue ↓
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Same consonant at word BEGINNINGS?
YES β†’ ALLITERATION NO β†’ Continue ↓
↓
Same consonant at word ENDS?
YES β†’ CONSONANCE NO β†’ Check ASSONANCE (vowels)
← Figurative Devices

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