UnderstandA limerick is a poem with 5 lines. Lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme. Lines 3 and 4 rhyme and are shorter than the other lines. Limericks are often funny and silly but stay on the same subject.

Example:

There was an old man with a beard,Who said, “It is just as I feared!Two Owls and a hen,Four Larks and a wren,Have all built nests in my beard!”

There was once a tall man from EalingWhose house had a very low

He often has He keeps hitting his

So now his noggin’s lost all .

A really bad driver from

Takes lots of tests but then

He never gets After crashing his

I think he’d be safer on .

I have a good friend called Who likes to walk barefoot through

He got bit by a Sticking out of a

So now he wears shoes on his .

Language Features

Limericks

Can you add missing words to these limericks?

Have you ever met my old dadWhose jokes are incredibly Each one is his And will make you But laugh or you’ll make him feel

TIP: Lines which rhyme should also have

the same or a similar number of syllables.

.

Explain These limericks need fixing. Can you fix each one?

Let me tell you about my dear mumAs a cook, she is better than mostHer pies are the pitsAnd her cakes come in piecesBut her crumble will make you go wow!

A farmer from CreweCould not get any of his large number of cows to make a “moo”.Some of the cows were able to make a noise similar to a batSome could meow like a catI think that all of these strange cows belong in a zoo

A farmer in HarrowWho grew the world’s largest marrowHe grew it from a very tiny seedHe gave it plenty of feedBut now, because of its size, it won’t fit in his wheelbarrow.

ChallengeCan you complete these limericks? You might find the wordbank helpful.

There was a strange lady named Pat

bat cat

chat

fat flat hat

mat rat sat

spat that vat

We have a peculiar dogblog bog clog cog

flog fog

frog hog

jog log

slog smog

Our neighbour has such a large nose

blows bows chose close

crows doze

flows foes

froze

glows goes

grows hose

knows lows pose rose rows

shows slows snows

throws those toes tows

Test Look at these short pieces of writing. Rewrite each one so that it is a limerick. The first one has been done for you:

There was this Spanish man who was not particularly bright. One day, he was climbing on a very tall wall and fell off. Now, he has to walk using cane.

There once was a young man from SpainNot blessed with a very large brainClimbing on a high wallHe had a great fallAnd now walks with the aid of a cane.

My friend Daniel, like to eat a lot of food which he fried in a pan. He put too much in the pan. Because the pile of food had gotten so much higher than normal, it started a fire. Daniel has a dark tan now.

My aunt is somebody who likes everything in her house to be extremely clean. Everything in her house has a bright sheen because she polishes it so much. In fact, she doesn’t like to many any mess. Any guests at her house are not fed. Because of these, the cleanest plates you’ve ever seen are hers.

In Peru, you can find a ghost which was unable to say “Boo!”. Because it was unable to scare anybody walking past, it would cry. I think this ghost didn’t have much of a clue.

ApplyChoose two of these images. For each of your chosen pictures, write a limerick.

Remember: Your first line should introduce your character. Think about what is funny or silly about your character.

Limerick 1

Limerick 2

Use this space to brainstorm rhyming words.

Use this space to brainstorm rhyming words.

Apply

Limerick 1 Limerick 2