Question

check for understanding ii - language development
promoting language & early literacy development
2 of 5
which of the following best describes alliteration?
small groups of sounds in words
the smallest unit of speech distinguishing one word from another
the ability to see letters or spelling patterns and recognize the pronunciation of written words
the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words

Explanation:

To determine the correct option, we analyze each choice:

• "Small groups of sounds in words" describes phonemes or syllables, not alliteration.
• "The smallest unit of speech distinguishing one word from another" is a phoneme, not alliteration.
• "The ability to see letters or spelling patterns and recognize the pronunciation of written words" refers to decoding, not alliteration.
• "The repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words" matches the definition of alliteration (e.g., "Peter Piper picked a peck...").

Answer:

D. The repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words