Make Fun Of Life!
  • Learning
    • Activities
    • Printables
    • Foods
    • Alphabet
    • Numbers
    • Time
    • English Grammar
    • Elocution
    • Colors
  • Holidays
    • New Year's Day
    • Groundhog Day
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Arbor Day
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving Day
    • Christmas
    • Birthdays
  • Inspiration
    • Everyday Inspiration
    • Personal Development
    • Physical Fitness
    • Christian Faith
    • Christian Quotations
    • Work
    • Disability
    • Moral Conduct
  • Library
    • Adventure
    • Fairy Tales
    • Horror
    • Stories With Morals
    • Quotations
    • Picture Quotations
    • Quotation Collections
    • Nursery Rhymes
    • Essays
    • Correspondence
    • Free Pictures
  • Life
    • Childhood
    • Friendship
    • Adulthood
    • Marriage
    • Family
    • Parenting
    • Generations
    • In Memory
  • Serious
    • Serious Topics
    • Sleep
    • Serious Poems
    • Child Abuse
    • Website Index
    • Website Information
  • Silly
    • Nonsense
    • Picture Jokes
    • Limericks
    • Fake News
    • Beaumont's Bits
    • Silly Songs
  • Society
    • Being Human
    • Biography
    • Geography
    • History
    • Americana
  • World
    • Animals
    • Plants
    • Nature
    • Seasons
    • Weather

Limericks

6/23/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Shown is a view from above of Limerick, Ireland. It has not been definitively established that the form of poetry called the limerick originated here.
 
Waggy Shaggy Reggie

There once was a dog named Reggie
Who was both tremendous and shaggy.
     He was quite fierce and grim
     On the front end of him,
But his back end was friendly and waggy.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Seemingly, the limerick galloped out of nowhere and into our world in the early 1800’s, and has been galloping about ever since. The limerick is possibly the most prolific poetic form in the English language.
 
Why Is the Limerick So Popular?

Well, it’s partly the shape of the thing
That makes the old limerick swing -
     Its accordion pleats
     Full of light, airy beats
Take it up like a kite on the wing!
 
by Author Unknown
 
In Need of a Boat
 
In a castle that had a deep moat
Lived a chicken, a duck, and a goat.
     They wanted to go out
     And wander about
But what they needed was a boat.
 
by Author Unknown
 
A Young Angler
 
There was a young angler of Worthing,
Who dug up ten worms and a fur thing.
     He said, “How I wish
     Eleven fine fish
Would snap up these things I’m unearthing.”
 
by Author Unknown
 
Curds by the Whey
 
A cheese that was aged and gray
Was walking and talking one day.
     Said the cheese, “Kindly note
     My mama was a goat
And I’m made of curds by the whey.”
 
by Author Unknown
 
The two main points to keep in mind when writing a limerick are the number of syllables in each line and the rhyme pattern, or rhyme scheme.
 
Syllable Count for Traditional Five-Line Limerick Poems
- Line 1 has 7, 8, or 9 syllables*
- Line 2 has 7, 8, or 9 syllables
- Line 3 has 5 or 6 syllables
- Line 4 has 5 or 6 syllables
- Line 5 has 7, 8, or 9 syllables
*If the first line is 7 syllables, the second and fifth lines require the same meter, or 7 syllables each as well. If the third line has 5 syllables, the fourth line must have 5 syllables as well.
 
How to Write a Limerick
 
A limerick’s easy to write:
Five lines with a humorous bite,
     And the first one must rhyme
     With the last two each time,
While the middle two paired make it right.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Rhyme Scheme for Traditional Five-Line Limerick Poems
- Line 1 - A
- Line 2 - A
- Line 3 - B
- Line 4 - B
- Line 5 - A
The ‘A’ lines must rhyme with each other and the ‘B’ lines must rhyme with each other.
 
Hickory Dickory Dock
 
Hickory dickory dock,
The mouse ran up the clock
     The clock struck one
     And down he run
Hickory dickory dock.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Jeremy Hoff
 
A schoolboy named Jeremy Hoff
Found a little green man in his broth,
     Who yelled, “Save me, don’t frown
     I need help or I’ll drown” -
Then they both needed time to cool off.
 
by Graham Lester
 
An Old Man’s Addition
 
There was an Old Man who said, “Do
Tell me how I should add two and two?
     I think more and more
     That it makes about four -
But I fear that is almost too few.”
 
by Author Unknown
 
A canner exceedingly canny
One morning remarked to his granny,
     “A canner can can
     Anything that he can,
But a canner can’t can a can, can he?”
by Carolyn Wells (1862 - 1942)
 
Simply Sublime
 
This limerick’s simply sublime
And inspiring in meter and rhyme;
     It expresses but naught
     With intelligent thought
And to write it used acres of time.
 
by Author Unknown
Picture
​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!”
 
by Edward Lear: “A Book of Nonsense” (1846), limerick 1

Limerick Day, also known as Mr. Lear’s Limerick Day, is celebrated on 12 May of each year and commemorates the birthday of Edward Lear (1812 - 1888), who helped to popularize the form of poetry known as the limerick. Let’s all write a limerick in celebration!
 
Little Miss Muffet
 
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey,
     Along came a spider,
     Who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Gherkins Pickled Perkins
 
There was a young lady named Perkins
Who had a great fondness for gherkins;
     She went to a tea
     And ate twenty-three
Which pickled her internal workin’s.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Slumbering Elephant

An elephant slept in his bunk,
And in slumber his chest rose and sunk,
     But he snored - how he snored!
     All the other beasts roared -
So his wife tied a knot in his trunk.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Old Man on a Hill
 
There was an Old Man on a hill,
Who never would pay his phone bill,
     So they sent out the cops
     And changed all his door locks,
That poor Old Man with a phone bill.
 
by David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966): “That Isn’t Even Funny”
 
Ferrets
 
Ferrets live by a code tried and true
From which humans can benefit, too.
     Teach your sons and daughters
     To do unto otters,
As otters would do unto you.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Limericks contain rhyme, rhythm, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, idioms, puns, and wittiness - that is enough to send a person running to find a dictionary!
 
A Thing
 
A thing with a horrible grin
And green, slimy stuff on its chin
     Was crawling and creeping
     While we were all sleeping -
I’m glad that it couldn’t get in.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Sean and Duck
 
There was a young man named Sean,
Who found a duck in a pond,
     He fed it some bread,
     And patted its head,
And the duck quacked all day long.
 
by David Hugh Beaumont: “That Isn’t Even Funny”
 
Sid Meets Shark
 
There once was a poor boy named Sid
Who thought he knew more than he did.
     He thought that a shark
     Would turn tail if you bark,
So he swam out to try it - poor kid!
 
by Author Unknown
 
There was a young man from Japan
Whose limericks never would scan.
     When asked why this was,
     He said: “’Tis because
I always try and put as many words in the last line as I possibly can.”
-Author Unknown
 
There once was a man from Peru
Whose limericks stopped at line two.
-Author Unknown
 
Smile!
 
No matter how grouchy you’re feeling,
You’ll find the smile more or less healing.
     It grows in a wreath
     All around the front teeth -
Thus preserving the face from congealing.
 
by Anthony Euwer
 
Mark’s Dark Humor
 
There once was a man named Mark,
Who lived alone near a park,
     When the young folks walked by,
     He would shout for a lark,
“People, you’re out after dark!”
 
by David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966): “That Isn’t Even Funny”
 
Traditionally, the third and fourth lines of limericks are indented a few spaces. Some limericks have titles and some do not.
 
Vicente of San Clemente
 
There was a man named Vicente,
Who lived in old San Clemente,
     He sat on a wood bench,
     With an adjustable wrench,
And fixed bikes in San Clemente.
 
by David Hugh Beaumont: “That Isn’t Even Funny”
 
How a Limerick Goes
 
A limerick’s rhythm, you see,
Goes, “riskety-tiskety-tee.”
     So have a good time,
     And remember to rhyme,
As you make it the best it can be.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Young Mallory
 
There was a young rustic named Mallory,
who drew but a very small salary.
     When he went to the show,
     his purse made him go
to a seat in the uppermost gallery.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Say “No, Thanks!” to Rude Limericks
 
Some limericks are unrefined,
Impolite and rude and unkind -
     Nothing good they contain,
     Showing only disdain -
Folks deserve a much nicer kind.
 
by David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
 
Opulent Ollie
 
One Saturday opulent* Ollie
Thought he’d go for a ride on the trolley;
     But his pennies were few, -
     He only had two, -
So he went and made mud-pies with Polly.
 
by Author Unknown
*opulent: affluent, rich, wealthy, fancy.
 
Whatever the Weather
 
Whether the weather be hot,
or whether the weather be not,
     we’ll weather the weather,
     whatever the weather,
whether we like it or not.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Old Mister King
 
“My ambition,” said Old Mister King,
“Is to live as a bird on the wing.”
     Then he climbed up a steeple,
     Which scared all the people,
So they caged him and taught him to sing.
 
by Graham Lester
 
This is MFOL! . . . your website for lively clean limericks and helpful instructions on how to write them.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture of dancing letter characters spelling the words, ‘HELLO WORLD.’
    Picture of abstract colors with the words, ‘Believe You Can, Make It Happen, Learn Every Day, Enjoy Your Life.’
    Picture of dancing letter characters spelling the word, ‘WELCOME.’
    Welcome! It’s going to be a great day! You are on the website’s Limericks Page, with a wide column on the left for articles and a narrow column on the right for additional features including links to more than 70 other pages. Continue traveling down this page for more Make Fun Of Life!
    Picture of dancing letter characters M, F, O, L, followed by a dancing exclamation point, standing for Make Fun Of Life! all positioned just above the music or audio controls including the on button and the off button.
    Picture of happy smiling Sun partially obscured by clouds with the words, ‘Hello and welcome! You are on www.MakeFunOfLife.net where the Sun shines with bright optimism even from behind the darkest clouds.’
    Picture
    Further fantastically fascinating frivolity and factuality await you on the Make Fun Of Life Website! if you will courageously click or tap on any of the blinking images or colorful words below.
    Click or tap here to visit the Activities Page.
    ​Activities

    Click or tap here to visit the Adulthood Page.
    ​Adulthood

    Click or tap here to visit the Adventure Page.
    ​Adventure

    Click or tap here to visit the Alphabet Page.
    ​​​​Alphabet

    Click or tap here to visit the Americana Page.
    ​​Americana

    Click or tap here to visit the Animals Page.
    ​​Animals

    Click or tap here to visit the Arbor Day Page.
    ​Arbor Day

    Click or tap here to visit the Beaumont's Bits Page.
    ​Beaumont’s Bits

    Click or tap here to visit the Being Human Page.
    ​Being Human

    Click or tap here to visit the Biography Page.
    ​Biography

    Click or tap here to visit the Birthdays Page.
    ​Birthdays

    Click or tap here to visit the Child Abuse Page.
    ​Child Abuse

    Click or tap here to visit the Childhood Page.
    ​Childhood

    Click or tap here to visit the Christian Faith Page.
    ​Christian Faith

    Click or tap here to visit the Christian Quotations Page.
    ​Christian Quotations

    Click or tap here to visit the Christmas Page.
    ​Christmas

    Click or tap here to visit the Colors Page.
    ​Colors

    Click or tap here to visit the Correspondence Page.
    Correspondence

    Click or tap here to visit the Disability Page.
    ​Disability

    Click or tap here to visit the Easter Page.
    ​Easter

    Click or tap here to visit the Elocution Page.
    ​Elocution

    Click or tap here to visit the English Grammar Page.
    ​English Grammar

    Click or tap here to visit the Essays Page.
    ​Essays

    Click or tap here to visit the Everyday Inspiration Page.
    ​Everyday Inspiration

    Click or tap here to visit the Fairy Tales Page.
    ​​Fairy Tales

    Click or tap here to visit the Fake News Page.
    ​Fake News

    Click or tap here to visit the Family Page.
    ​Family

    Click or tap here to visit the Foods Page.
    ​Foods

    Click or tap here to visit the Friendship Page.
    ​Friendship

    Click or tap here to visit the Generations Page.
    ​Generations

    Click or tap here to visit the Geography Page.
    ​Geography

    Click or tap here to visit the Groundhog Day Page.
    ​​Groundhog Day

    Click or tap here to visit the Halloween Page.
    ​Halloween

    Click or tap here to visit the History Page.
    ​History

    Click or tap here to visit the Holidays Page.
    ​Holidays

    Click or tap here to visit the Horror Page.
    ​Horror

    Click or tap here to visit the In Memory Page.
    ​In Memory

    Click or tap here to visit the Inspiration Page.
    ​Inspiration

    Click or tap here to visit the Learning Page.
    ​Learning

    Click or tap here to visit the Library Page.
    ​Library

    Click or tap here to visit the Life Page.
    ​Life

    Click or tap here to visit the Limericks Page.
    ​Limericks

    Click or tap here to visit the Marriage Page.
    ​Marriage

    Click or tap here to visit the Moral Conduct Page.
    ​Moral Conduct

    Click or tap here to visit the Nature Page.
    ​Nature

    Click or tap here to visit the New Year's Day Page.
    ​New Year’s Day

    Click or tap here to visit the Nonsense Page.
    ​Nonsense

    Click or tap here to visit the Numbers Page.
    ​Numbers

    Click or tap here to visit the Nursery Rhymes Page.
    ​Nursery Rhymes

    Click or tap here to visit the Parenting Page.
    ​Parenting

    Click or tap here to visit the Personal Development Page.
    ​Personal Development

    Click or tap here to visit the Physical Fitness Page.
    ​​Physical Fitness

    Click or tap here to visit the Picture Jokes Page.
    ​Picture Jokes

    Click or tap here to visit the Picture Quotations Page.
    ​​Picture Quotations

    Click or tap here to visit the Plants Page.
    ​Plants

    Click or tap here to visit the Printables Page.
    ​Printables

    Click or tap here to visit the Quotation Collections Page.
    ​Quotation Collections

    Click or tap here to visit the Quotations Page.
    ​Quotations

    Click or tap here to visit the Seasons Page.
    ​Seasons

    Click or tap here to visit the Serious Page.
    ​Serious

    Click or tap here to visit the Serious Poems Page.
    ​Serious Poems

    Click or tap here to visit the Serious Topics Page.
    ​Serious Topics

    Click or tap here to visit the Silly Page.
    ​Silly

    Click or tap here to visit the Silly Songs Page.
    ​​​​Silly Songs

    Click or tap here to visit the Sleep Page.
    Sleep

    Click or tap here to visit the Society Page.
    ​Society

    Click or tap here to visit the Stories with Morals Page.
    ​Stories with Morals

    Click or tap here to visit the Thanksgiving Day Page.
    ​Thanksgiving Day

    Click or tap here to visit the TIme Page.
    ​Time

    Click or tap here to visit the Valentine's Day Page.
    ​Valentine’s Day

    Click or tap here to visit the Weather Page.
    ​Weather

    Click or tap here to visit the Website Index Page.
    ​Website Index

    Click or tap here to visit the Website Information Page.
    ​Website Information

    Click or tap here to visit the Work Page.
    ​Work

    Click or tap here to visit the World Page.
    ​World

    Picture
    Do you need a joke, quotation, paragraph, or poem about a particular subject or topic? Go to the search box found at the top right side of this page and type it in. We have a surprising variety of material and we add new stuff regularly, so you might find what you are seeking.

    Picture
    Make Fun Of Life! can be right there with you, at home or wherever you go, on a laptop, cell phone, tablet, or any other internet connected device. Bookmark us and visit whenever you can. We regularly add fascinating new articles just for you!

    Picture
    ​When you reach the bottom of this page on Make Fun Of Life! click on <<Previous or Forward>> to see the next page.

    Picture
    Limerick Day, also known as Mr. Lear’s Limerick Day, is celebrated on 12 May of each year and commemorates the birthday of Edward Lear, who helped to popularize the form of poetry known as the limerick. Happy Limerick Day!

    Picture of a happy smiling winking man with thumb up hand gesture and with blue sky and fluffy white clouds in background.
    You are now on the Make Fun Of Life! Website . . . where humor, inspiration, and learning are back together again - as they were always meant to be.

    Picture of 3 men in an old blue convertible-top car with the driver smiling and waving and the front seat passenger standing on the seat and pointing forward. In the vehicle is a beach umbrella, an inflatable beach ball, and a surfboard. Painted on the outside of the car are the words, ‘Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net’ with a happy smiling Sun partially obscured by a cloud.
    Picture of happy smiling Sun partially obscured by a cloud with the words, ‘Make Fun Of Life! We Just Want You To Be Happy. Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net.’
    Welcome to the Make Fun Of Life! Website. We are here to bring a little happiness to the world. Would you like to be among the first people to see new articles when they appear on the website? Click on the social media buttons on the left side of your screen and then follow us. We wish you the very best imaginable day, and thank you for visiting!

    Picture of dancing letter characters M, F, O, L, followed by a dancing exclamation point, standing for Make Fun Of Life! all positioned just above the music or audio controls including the on button and the off button.
    Picture of green leaves surrounding the words, ‘Smile Often, Think Positively, Give Thanks.’
To view more click or tap on
 << Previous or Forward >>
      showing just above.
Proudly powered by Weebly