How to Do Limerick Poems
- 1). Pull out a piece of paper and a writing implement or open a word processor on a computer to write the limerick down.
- 2). Think about the subject of the poem. Usually, limericks are humorous. Get ideas from daily life, the news and many other places.
- 3). Decide what the first line is going to be. Use an easy-to-rhyme word as the last word in the line so that it is easier to rhyme with the second and fifth lines.
- 4). Write the next four lines of the poem. Rhyme the first, second and fifth lines. Rhyme the third and fourth lines, as well, so that the rhyme scheme is A A B B A.
- 5). Write lines one, two and five with a rhythm pattern of ' / ' ' / ' ' /. Lines three and four should have a rhythm pattern of ' / ' ' /. ( ' stands for unstressed syllables and / stands for stressed syllables.) It is permissible to add one more syllable to each line. Read the limerick out loud to make sure the rhythm pattern in each line is correct. Words that are naturally spoken with more emphasis are stressed, and words that are spoken without emphasis are unstressed.
- 6). Read limericks by well-known poets to get a good idea of what a finished limerick should look like. The following limerick, written by Edward Lear for his "Book of Nonsense," follows the A A B B A rhyme scheme. He uses the traditional rhythm pattern, but lines two, three, and four each have one additional syllable. Stressed words are capitalized and unstressed words are not capitalized.
There WAS a young LADy whose EYES,
Were uNIQUE as to COlour and SIZE;
When she Opened them WIDE,
PEople ALL turned aSIDE,
And STARTed aWAY in surPRISE.
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