How to Write a Limerick
Limericks are one of the most fun and well-known poetic forms. They are short, rhyming, funny, and
have a bouncy rhythm that makes them easy to memorize.
THE RULES OF LIMERICKS
Limericks, like all poetic forms, have a set of rules that need to be followed. The rules for a limerick are:
They are five lines long.
Lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme with one another.
Lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other.
They have a distinctive rhythm
They are usually funny.
Examples
There was a young fellow named Hall
Who fell in the spring in the fall
'Twould have been a sad thing
Had he died in the spring
But he didn't - he died in the fall
There was an old man of Nantucket
Who kept all his cash in a bucket
But his daughter, named Nan
Ran away with a man
As for the bucket, Nantucket.
The rhyme scheme of a limerick is known as “AABBA.” The last words in lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme -the
“A’s” in the rhyme scheme. The “B’s” are the last words of lines 3 and 4. The words, “Hall,” “fall,” and
“fall” are the “A” words in the “AABBA” rhyme scheme. The words “thing” and “spring” are the “B”
words.
For more information look at:
http://www.poetry4kids.com/blog/lessons/how-to-write-a-limerick/
Event details at www.whiterockcity.ca