beginning rhyme
- noun
- /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ raɪm/
- Literature
- In the phrase 'Peter Piper picked a peck,' the beginning rhyme makes the line memorable.
Examples
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Classic tongue-twisters often rely on beginning rhyme to create a playful effect.
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The poet used beginning rhyme in every line to enhance the musical quality of her verse.
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The poem uses beginning rhyme effectively.
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Can you identify the beginning rhyme in this line?
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Classic tongue-twisters often rely on beginning rhyme to create a playful effect.
-
In the phrase 'Peter Piper picked a peck,' the beginning rhyme makes the line memorable.
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The poet used beginning rhyme in every line to enhance the musical quality of her verse.
Synonyms
The use of the same sound at the start of nearby words, often in poems
Repeating the same consonant sound at the start of each stressed syllable in a line of verse
The same first sound at the start of important words in a line of poetry
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally straightforward: 'beginning' = initial and 'rhyme' = correspondence of sounds, so a learner can infer it means matching sounds at the start of words or stressed syllables. This pattern (applying 'rhyme' to the word-initial position) is transparent and cross-linguistically plausible, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely grasp the general meaning (alliteration).
Etymology
Beginning rhyme comes from the idea that the beginning sounds of words rhyme with each other. For example, 'Peter Piper picked a peck' repeats the 'p' sound, so the line sounds musical and is easy to remember.