Assonance
A phonetic device in which vowel sounds are repeated within or across words in proximity, creating a musical or emphatic effect without requiring end-rhyme. Assonance contributes to the sensory and emotional texture of language.
Real World
In Wilfred Owen's 'Strange Meeting', the repeated long 'o' sounds in 'groined… groaned… moaned' create a slow, mournful resonance that mirrors the soldiers' suffering in the tunnel beneath the battlefield.
Exam Focus
Distinguish assonance from rhyme by noting the differing final consonants — examiners reward precise terminology.
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