Learning Limericks!

What is a limerick? A limerick is a rhyming poem that originally comes from Ireland. Limericks are not very serious poems; they often are silly (ludique) and contain a joke of some kind.

All limericks follow specific rules of organization:

1.  A limerick has five lines.

2.  A limerick has an AABBA rhyme pattern. This means the first, second, and fifth lines end in the same rhyming sound, while the third and fourth lines end in a different rhyming sound.

3.  Limericks always follow the same syllable (syllabe) stress pattern:

duh DA duh duh DA duh duh dah

duh DA duh duh DA duh duh dah

duh duh DA duh duh DA

duh duh DA duh duh DA

duh DA duh duh DA duh duh dah

The longer lines must have 8 syllables, and the shorter lines must have 6 syllables.

Here are some examples – can you identify which words will rhyme?

1. Whenever I go to the zoo,

I head straight for whatever is new:

Be it tigers or bears,

Oh, who really cares!

I just hope it’s a large kangaroo!

2. There was an old man who said, ‘See!

I have found the most beautiful bee!’

When they said, ‘Does it buzz?’

He answered, ‘It does,

I never beheld such a bee!’

3. A foodie called Judy MacBruce

Found a use for the juice from a goose.

She took a good look

At a cookery book

And produced a quite beautiful mousse.

4. An elderly man called Keith

Mislaid his set of false teeth -

They’d been laid on a chair,

He’d forgot they were there,

Sat down, and was bitten beneath.

Now you’re ready to try writing your own limerick! Pick a subject and try to think of words that rhyme with that subject. Here’s an example from a group of Lycée Thomas Corneille students who picked the topic of “school”:

If we threw a party in school,

There wouldn’t be any rules.

It would be really crazy

We’d dance to Katy Perry!

And so it would be really cool.

For more examples of limericks and tips on writing your own, take a look at this site: http://www.poetry4kids.com/blog/lessons/how-to-write-a-limerick/

Answers: 1. Zoo, new (kanga)roo; bears, cares 2. See, bee, bee; buzz, does 3. (Mac)Bruce, goose, mousse; look, book 4. Keith, teeth, (be)neath; chair, there