Nonsense verse

In 1846 Edward Lear published the first 'Book of Nonsense '. These were five line funny poems about silly things.

Listen to these five Edward Lear limericks.

Look at this nonsense poem. Each line ends with one of two sounds. We call these sounds by letters (A or B).
The pattern is always: AABBA

There was an Old Man with a beard, (a)
Who said, "It is just as I feared! (a)
Two Owls and a Hen, (b)
Four Larks and a Wren, (b)
Have all built their nests in my beard!" (a)
We sometimes call these nonsense poems limericks.
The Old Man with a beard - Teaching Notes



Wonderful materials for English language learners!! Ms Fann, ESL teacher, Nashville, USA