Which best explains what assonance is?

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within a phrase or sentence, often creating a musical or rhythmic effect.

Here's a breakdown:

* Focus on vowel sounds: Assonance focuses specifically on the *sound* of the vowels, not the letters themselves.

* Within a phrase or sentence: The repeated vowel sounds need to occur close enough together to be noticeable, typically within a single line of poetry or a short sentence.

* Musical or rhythmic effect: Assonance adds a sense of flow, rhythm, and even a bit of "sing-song" quality to writing.

Example:

"The sea shells sparkled on the shore."

Here, the repetition of the short "e" sound in "sea," "shells," "sparkled," and "shore" creates assonance.