Editing Old English literature (section)

==== Alliteration and assonance ====
{{Main|alliterative verse}}

Old English poetry alliterates, meaning that a sound is repeated throughout a line, generally taken from the first syllable of the first stressed word in a line. Alliteration is based on sound rather than letter. For instance, in the first line of [[The Wanderer (Old English poem)|The Wanderer]], "Oft him anhaga are gebideð", "Often the loner finds grace for himself", the 'o' of 'oft', and 'a' in 'anhaga' and 'are' all alliterate. Prefixes, such as 'ge-' are always unstressed and therefore are not part of alliterative patterns, while consonant clusters, for example 'st' or 'sp' may only alliterate with themselves, not any word beginning with 's'.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Old English Online - Syntax |url=https://oldenglish.info/syntax4.html |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=oldenglish.info}}</ref>