COMMUNICATION ARTS MS. MOSELEY LIMERICK POETRY COMMUNICATION ARTS MS. MOSELEY

THERE WAS AN OLD MAN OF PERU There was an old man of Peru Who dreamed he was eating a shoe He awoke in the night With a terrible fright And found it was perfectly true! Author: Anonymous

A MOUSE IN HER ROOM A mouse in her room woke Miss Dowd; She was frightened and screamed very loud, Then a happy thought hit her---- To scare off the critter, She sat up in bed and meowed. Author: Anonymous

WRITE A LIMERICK NOW Write a limerick now. Say there was An old man of some place, what he does, Or perhaps what he doesn’t. Or isn’t or wasn’t Want help with it? Give me a buzz. Author: David McCord

WHAT IS A LIMERICK? A limerick is a humorous five-line poem that follows a specific form.

FORM A limerick has three long lines and two short lines.

FORM The long lines (lines 1, 2, & 5) rhyme and the two short lines (lines 3 & 4) rhyme. RHYME SCHEME – AABBA RHYTHM & METER

PATTERN OF BEATS METER - There is a strict pattern of beats, or accented syllables, in these lines. RHYTHM - The three long lines usually each have three strong beats, and the two short lines each have two strong beats.

CONTENT Limericks can be foolish as well as funny, and they often end with an unexpected twist. For instance, “There Was an Old Man of Peru” contains the surprise that the man had actually eaten his shoe. “A Mouse in Her Room” has a woman imitating a cat as its twist.

WRITING LIMERICKS A good way to begin writing limericks is to think about your name. You can begin as follows: There once was a boy (or girl) named---- Lines 2 & 5, which will be the same length as line 1, will have to end with words that rhyme with your name.

WRITING LIMERICKS Lines 3 & 4, which will be shorter, should end in a different rhyme.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT Write three limericks using the guidelines we have studied. Write one limerick using your name. Write one limerick about an animal. Write one limerick about a place or an event.