Limericks are poems that have their own special rhythm and way of rhyming. They have five lines. The first two lines are of similar length, and they rhyme with each other. They usually have about eight or nine syllables or separate sounds. Then there are two shorter lines that rhyme with each other but not the first two lines. And finally, the last line is of similar length as the first two and usually rhymes with them. Limericks are often written to entertain or amuse readers. Here is an example: There once was a boy from Hong Kong Who always did everything wrong He lost all his money And thought it was funny And decided to just sing a song Note how the word at the end of the first line ('Kong') rhymes with the end of the second line ('wrong') and the fifth line ('song'). And see how the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other ('money' and 'funny') but not with the others. Here is another limerick. See if it follows the same pattern: A cockroach was feeling so merry He went to Kowloon on a ferry He hid under a seat Near somebody's feet And nibbled for lunch on a cherry This time let's count the sounds or syllables. There are nine syllables in the first, second and fifth lines and five or six in lines three and four. Good limericks should flow off the tongue. See if the following limericks follow the same pattern of rhythm and rhyme. A young boy bought a box of fried rice Told his mum that he thought it was nice He put on soy sauce And ate it of course And ordered some more in a trice May Chan always worked hard at school So that nobody thought her a fool But one day on a whim She went for a swim And did fifty long lengths in the pool Comprehension 1. What did the boy from Hong Kong do that was wrong? 2. How was the cockroach feeling? 3. Where did the cockroach hide? 4. What did the young boy buy? 5. What did he tell his mum? 6. Who always worked hard at school? 7. How many lengths did she swim? Be a writer Limericks have a definite structure. Use the template below to write your own limerick. Remember the rhythm and rhyme when you do this. Try to fill the gaps with your own rhyming words. There once was a man from Wan Chai Who swallowed a very big (8) ___________ It buzzed in his mouth As he headed (9) ___________ And waved everybody (10) ___________ Rhymes You need to be able to rhyme words to be a good limerick writer. Try writing five words that rhyme for each of the following: 11. road 12. table 13. flat 14. wok Crossword Look at the words below and fit them into the puzzle. There are some clues to help you. List: cherry, nibbled, tongue, lunch, soy, trice 1. You taste food with this part of your body 2. A meal eaten about midday 3. To have eaten something in small pieces 4. A small amount of time 5. A small red fruit 6. A sauce you might use to add taste to food Answers 1. lost his money 2. so merry 3. under a seat 4. a box of fried rice 5. that it was nice 6. May Chan 7. 50 8. fly 9. south 10. goodbye 11. toad, code, load, node, showed... 12. stable, cable, able, fable, gable... 13. mat, cat, sat, hat, chat... 14. sock, mock, dock, lock, shock... Crossword 1. tongue 2. lunch 3. nibbled 4. trice 5. cherry 6. soy