Words: Rhyme, Alliteration and Opposites

Class 6 English · Chapter 2: The Raven and the Fox · NCERT Poorvi section pp. 15–17

Learn

Word meanings from the poem: perched = sat on a branch; morsel = a small piece of food; seek = look for; pride = feeling better than others; eyed = looked at with interest; limb = branch of a tree; woods = a small forest.

Rhyming words end with the same sound. The poem's lines rhyme in pairs: limb–him, beak–seek, word–bird, sing–king, joke–croak, pride–eyed, know–glow, unwise–surprise. Rhyme makes a poem musical and easy to remember.

Alliteration is when two or more words close together begin with the same consonant sound, like "big beak" or "sweet songs". Poets use it to make lines catchy. Can you find one more example in the second stanza?

Opposites: perched ↔ flew; forgot ↔ remembered; foolish ↔ wise; pride ↔ humility; laughed ↔ cried; ignore ↔ notice; glow ↔ dim. Make sentences with them, e.g. "The wise owl stayed quiet while the foolish crow sang."

Explore: match the opposites.

1. Put each word under its opposite.

Remember

• Rhyming words end with the same sound; alliteration repeats the starting consonant sound.
• Opposites from the poem: foolish/wise, pride/humility, forgot/remembered.

Quick check

Which word rhymes with "sing"?

1. king
2. song
3. voice
4. bird

Think about it

Write a two-line rhyme of your own about a clever animal.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.