Lear: Limericks
Edward Lear wrote 112 Nonsense poems or limericks. A good limerick is
a) very silly/funny
b) easy to remember.
Read the limericks on this page. Then you write one!
| There was an Old Man of Moldavia, Who had the most curious behaviour; For while he was able, He slept on a table. That funny Old Man of Moldavia. |
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 their nests in my beard!
There was a Young Lady whose chin,
Resembled the point of a pin;
So she had it made sharp,
And purchased a harp,
And played several tunes with her chin.
There was an Old Man with a nose,
Who said, 'If you choose to suppose,
That my nose is too long,
You are certainly wrong!'
That remarkable Man with a nose
Can you write a Nonsense poem?
- Start with the words, 'There was a …'
- Each poem is five lines
- The rhyme scheme is aabba (beard,feared hen, wren, beard)
- The last word is the same on the first and last lines.
- Nonsense poems are always very silly!
- Choose a 'title word' from the box below. This will be the last word of the first and last lines.
Blackpool * cat * ear (s) * hand * hair * coat * hat * eye (s)* Berlin * New York * LA * toe (s)
Write down all the words you know that rhyme with your title word: e.g. Blackpool - school, cool
Now you are ready to write your limerick!
Edward Lear (1812-1888) is one of the most popular poets in English literature. His best known poem is The Owl and the Pussy Cat which is still read to young children today