1. Sound and Rhyme

2. What we will examine: Alliteration Assonance Consonance Perfect Rhyme
Slant Rhyme
Internal Rhyme

3. Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant sound in words.
Examples:
Jake jumped in the jar of jelly.
Despite their mother’s warnings, the children chose to chew with their mouths open.
The grass grew green in the graveyard.

4. Consonance
Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the middle or at the end of words.
Examples:
Her finger hungered for a ring.
The satin mittens were ancient.
You could paddle through the spittle in the bottle.

5. Assonance Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds. Example:
He saw the cost and hauled off.
Will she read these cheap leaflets.
The snow in the rose garden groaned.
Notice the repetition of the “awe” sounds in the first example, the “e” sounds in the second example, or the “o” sounds in the third example? Assonance can be subtle and may go unnoticed if you’re not scanning for it.

6. Perfect rhyme (or true rhyme):
Rhyme is when the end or final sound of two or more words are identical Perfect rhymes do not have to be spelled the same way. Examples: rink, wink / gratitude, latitude.

7. Slant rhyme
A partial or imperfect rhyme using assonance or consonance only. Slant rhymes do not have to be spelled in different ways. Examples: how, row / lovely, funny.

8. Internal Rhyme
Rhymes can also occur internally or on the inside of words or lines of poetry.
Examples:
I left my punch card on the lunch yard.
I drove a race car to the space bar.
We saw a butter fly flutter by.
This is the technique that people most often associate with poetry, but I encourage people to try writing free or blank verse, as it takes much poetic skill to freely maneuver within the confines of a rhyme scheme.

9. Heart, we will forget him. You and I, tonight
Heart, we will forget him! You and I, tonight! You may forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light! Question: What is the rhyme scheme? What are the perfect rhymes if any? What are the slant rhymes if any?

10. The rhyme scheme here is ABCB
The rhyme scheme here is ABCB. The perfect rhymes are "tonight" and "light“ (they share the same vowel *and* consonant sound at the end of the word). There is no slant rhyme. (Maybe there is slant rhyme between “forget” and “tonight”).

11. The Difference Between Despair: The Mind is Smooth - no Motion - Contented as the Eye Upon the Forehead of a Bust - That knows - it cannot see. Question: What is the rhyme scheme? What are the perfect rhymes if any? What are the slant rhymes if any?

12. The rhyme scheme is A-B-C-slanted B The Mind is Smooth - no Motion - (A) Contented as the Eye (B) Upon the Forehead of a Bust - (C) That knows - it cannot see. (slanted B)

13. Talib Kweli from his song Memories Live
Talib Kweli from his song Memories Live. Yo it kind of make me think of way back when, I was a portrait of the artist as a young man, All those teenage dreams of rapping, Writing rhymes on napkins, Was really visualization, making this here actually happen Question: What is the rhyme scheme? What are the perfect rhymes if any? What are the slant rhymes if any?

14. The rhyme scheme is: A – slanted A – B – slanted B – slanted B Yo it kind of make me think of way back when, (A) I was a portrait of the artist as a young man, (slanted A) all those teenage dreams of rapping, (B) writing rhymes on napkins, (slanted B) was really visualization, (slanted A) making this here actually happen, (slanted B)

15. Nas's song NY State of Mind, from his 1994 album, Illmatic
Nas's song NY State of Mind, from his 1994 album, Illmatic. I got so many rhymes I don't think I'm too sane, Life is parallel to Hell but I must maintain, And be prosperous, though we live dangerous, Cops could just arrest me, blaming us, we're held like hostages. Questions: What is the rhyme scheme? What are the perfect rhymes if any? What are the slant rhymes if any?

16. The rhyme scheme is: A-A-B-slanted B The perfect rhymes are : sane - maintain The slant rhymes are: prosperous, dangerous, blamin’ us, hostages.