Limerick: Poetic Form | Academy of American Poets Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. For over three generations, the Academy has connected millions of people to great poetry through programs such as National Poetry Month, the largest literary celebration in the world; Poets.org, the Academy’s popular website; American Poets, a biannual literary journal; and an annual series of poetry readings and special events. Since its founding, the Academy has awarded more money to poets than any other organization. browse poems & poets Pantoum: Poetic Form A popular form in children’s verse, the limerick is often comical, nonsensical, and sometimes even lewd. The form is well known to generations of English-speaking readers, by way of Mother Goose nursery rhymes, first published in 1791. Composed of five lines, the limerick adheres to a strict rhyme scheme and bouncy rhythm, making it easy to memorize. Typically, the first two lines rhyme with each other, the third and fourth rhyme together, and the fifth line either repeats the first line or rhymes with it.

The limerick's anapestic rhythm is created by an accentual pattern that contains many sets of double weakly-stressed syllables. The pattern can be illustrated with dashes denoting weak syllables, and back-slashes for stresses: 1) - / - - / - - / 4) - / - - / 5) - / - - / - - / Though the origin of the limerick is not entirely known, it has an active, if not long, history. Limericks published in eighteenth-century Mother Goose’s Melodies are thought to be among the oldest. Poets quickly adopted the form and published limericks widely. Among them, Edward Lear’s self-illustrated Book of Nonsense , from 1846, remains a benchmark. He preferred the term "nonsense" to "limerick," and wrote many funny examples, including the following: 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!" Other limericks can be found in the work of Lord Alfred Tennyson , Rudyard Kipling , Robert Louis Stevenson, and W.S. Gilbert. A good collection of limericks can be found in the Penguin Book of Limericks edited by E. O. Parrott. How to Write a Limerick - Poem Types Subscribe How to Write a Limerick This page talks about how to write a limerick and offers some poem starters to help you write your own. This is just one of many pages on this website about how to write different types of poems. At the bottom of this page, you'll find links to more CWN poetry pages. What's a limerick? A limerick is a poetic form that can be particularly fun to read and to write. Limericks are often humorous, mean-spirited, or pornographic. I'll explain the form, and you can decide how down and dirty you want to get. Limericks consist of five lines. The rhyme scheme is aabba.

In other words, Lines One, Two, and Five all rhyme with each other, and Lines Three and Four rhyme with each other (in some limericks, Lines One and Five end with the same word and rhyme with Line Two). Here's an example of a classic limerick by Edward Lear, where the first and last lines rhyme: 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. Here's another example by Lear, where the first and last lines end with the same word: There was an Old Person of Dover, Who rushed through a field of blue Clover; But some very large bees, Stung his nose and his knees, So he very soon went back to Dover. The typical rhythm of a limerick is like this: bah-BAH bah-bah-BAH bah-bah-BAH bah-BAH bah-bah-BAH bah-bah-BAH How to write a limerick - poetry prompts Ready to try some limericks of your own? Here are some first lines you can use to get you started if you want.

He was an unusual boy There once was a very old dog A beautiful girl in my town There was a young woman whose head Two poets who couldn't agree Try your hand at more types of poems! Choose a link below: << BACK from How to Write a Limerick to Creative Writing Now Home A month's worth of ideas! Enter your e-mail to get the e-book for FREE. We'll also keep you informed about interesting website news. "I have searched the web and used different worksheets, but none have come close to your worksheets and descriptions of (what to do and what not to do). Both courses I have taken have with Creative Writing Now have been amazing. Each time I have learned something new. The one thing I love, you take everything apart and give examples." - Katlen Skye "As usual - I already love the course on Irresistible Fiction , rewriting a lot and improving greatly even after the first lesson.

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I would recommend the course to anyone." - Barrie Creamer Limerick Poem| Definition, Forms, Types, Poem Examples A limerick can be defined as, “A five-line poem written with one couplet and one triplet”. OR “Often referred to as nonsense poetry, Limericks are types of poems that are meant to be amusing, humorous and comical in nature and tonality; though the comedy can at times be obscene & raunchy in nature as well”. Figurative Devices Used in Limericks Figurative devices such as hyperbole, onomatopoeia, idioms, puns, and the kike are used to write down limerick poems. The last line of a good limerick poem typically contains the “punch line” or "heart of the joke." History and Origin The form of limerick poetry is originally derived from England as of the early years of the 18th century. It was popularized by Edward Lear in the 19th century, although he did not use the term in direct reference for this kind of poetry.

While the general consensus is that the term Limerick is derived from the Irish City of Limerick, many English and American authors around the same era claim to have coined the term; yet the popular opinion favors the Irishman. Rhyming Format of a Limerick Poem A standard limerick poem consists of a stanza of five lines, with the first, second and fifth usually rhyming with one another and having three feet of three syllables each. The shorter third and fourth lines also rhyme with each other, but have only two feet of three syllables each. The defining "foot" of a limerick’s meter is usually the anapaest, (ta-ta-TUM), but limericks are also considered amphibrachic (ta-TUM-ta). Characteristics of a Limerick The following characteristics define what is a Limerick poem: A Limerick poem will always have 5 lines to it; no more, no less.

And these are usually very short sentenced lines; nothing too elaborate; only a witty twist of words Off these 5 lines, lines # 1, 2 and 5 should always end in words that rhyme with each other Consequently, lines # 3 and 4 should always end in words that rhyme with one another. However, the ending words for lines 3 and 4 must have a different sound than the words than end lines # 1, 2 and 5. Usually most writers will reinforce the rhyming rule by asking you to follow the ‘aabba’ rule. To make it a little more engaging, simply go with the “DA DA DI DI DA” flow i.e. ending words for lines 3 & 4 rhyme with each other, and likewise the last words for the 3 other remaining lines should rhyme with each other as well. The essence of a Limerick poem is written in the last line i.e. Line # 5 contains the punch line (the most humorous or jokey) part of the whole poem. The easiest way to remember the above mentioned rules are; there are 5 rules to the 5-lined Limerick poem; as simple as that.

Famous Limerick Poems While you will come across many limericks that are acclaimed, one of the more popular and well-known classic Limericks goes like: 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 Notice how the words end up rhyming in lines # 1, 2, 5 and lines # 3, 4. While the history of limericks remains a point of debate till this day, the above written Limerick is one of the most primitive uses of this form of poetry from a newspaper published in New Brunswick during 1880.

Examples of Limericks – Limericks for Kids, and Funny Limerick Example (1) There once was an old man from Peru His poor llamas came down with the flu In the valley he passed All the people who gasped At the beast that was uttering "moo" Example (2) There was an old man from Peru, who dreamed he was eating his shoe He awoke in the night with a terrible fright and found out that it was quite true Types of Limerick Poems Limerick poetry is typically used for fun and entertaining events and comprise of the following kind of commonly crafted poems: Dirty limerick Poetry Forms verse Form ï¿½ A poem that follows a certain pattern - rhyme scheme or meter - or has a certain topic/focus, or all of the above. Haiku, limericks, sonnets, and sestinas are all forms of poetry that use conventional arrangements of meter and rhyme patterns. Fixed forms ï¿½ Generally, a form of poetry that has a name; specifically, any of the standard, highly-structured arrangements of meter, rhyme patterns, and/or topics that define a poem, such as a sonnet, sestina, etc.

Light verse ï¿½ verse written mainly to entertain or amuse; good examples can be found in the work of Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. Doggerel ï¿½ unsophisticated, basic poetry, often created on a whim or without great consideration; this word is used to describe poetry, but is not a form of poetry in itself Didactic poetry ï¿½ Poetry with intent to teach, with rhyme and meter to help the "student" remember the lesson. Some didactic poems convey practical information. The Greek poet Hesiodï¿½s "Works and Days" includes a farmerï¿½s almanac, a description of work to be done at different seasons, advice on navigation, etc. Ex: Thirty days have September, April, June, and November; All the rest (except for one) Have a total of thirty-one. Rhymed verse ï¿½ Poetry with lines that rhyme; no specific meter Ex: ï¿½Everybody Tells Me Everythingï¿½ by Ogden Nash I find it very difficult to enthuse Over the current news.

Just when you think that at least the outlook is so black that it can grow no blacker, it worsens, And that is why I do not like the news, because there has never been an era when so many things were going so right for so many of the wrong persons. Free verse ï¿½ unrhymed poetry with no meter Ex: From ï¿½This is just to sayï¿½ from William Carlos Williams I have eaten so sweet and so cold Poem with a Refrain ï¿½ Poetry in which a word, phrase, line, group of lines, or stanza is repeated at regular intervals. In music, this is usually called a ï¿½chorusï¿½. Closed couplet ï¿½ two lines of rhymed poetry that express a complete thought. Frequently closed couplets are epigrams , and sometimes epitaphs . Quatrain ï¿½ Four lines of poetry with similar meter and a specific rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme follows one of four patterns: AABB, ABAB, ABBA, or ABCB. A quatrain might be a poem by itself, or a poem might consist of a series of quatrains grouped together.

Ex: Because she did so like the beach, A The artist stirred some blue and green B To paint an underwater scene; B It was a task within her reach. A Heroic quatrain ï¿½ Four lines of iambic pentameter , rhymed ABAB, in which each line is end-stopped. (See heroic couplet ) Narrative poem ï¿½ poem that tells a story; usually has the basic elements of fiction, such as characters, conflict, and plot Flyting ï¿½ a type of poetry that has a rhyme scheme and a meter and that heaps abuse on a person, similar to a lampoon ; from the Old English and Old Norwegian folk contests in which two contenders heaped verbal abuse on each other. Copy-cat poem ï¿½ A poem that closely mimics another poetï¿½s work. To create a copy-cat poem, one first finds a poem that one likes. Then one chooses a new topic, different than that in the chosen poem.

One then replaces the nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and interjections of the found poem (conjunctions, pronouns, and prepositions may be changed, or they may stay the same), substituting words with the same syllable count, creating a new poem on a new topic that retains the meter and rhyme scheme of the found poem. Haiku ï¿½ A form of Japanese poetry consisting of three unrhymed lines. The first and third lines have five syllables; the second line has seven syllables. Haikus are ï¿½snapshotsï¿½ of nature; that is, they are about nature, and describe a brief moment or scene. They often make reference to the seasons. Ex: The autumn wind blows Calling the leaves on the ground To join him in dance. Limerick ï¿½ A form of poetry that tells a humorous story. A limerick has five lines with a set rhyme scheme of AABBA, and a consistent meter .

Lines 1, 2, and 5 of the poem rhyme and have the same number of syllables (usually 9, in three amphibrachs ), and lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other but not with the other lines, and have the same number of syllables (fewer than the other lines; usually 6, in two anapests ). Most importantly, a limerick should be funny - this usually means an unexpected and unusual ending. The first line usually begins, ï¿½There once was aï¿½ï¿½ Because of the rather strict form and rules, limericks can be difficult to write. In the below examples, Ex. 1 follows the rules, but isnï¿½t funny; Ex. 2 is funny, but doesnï¿½t quite follow the rules. Ex. 1: I raised a great hullabaloo when I found a large mouse in my stew, then Said the waiter, ï¿½Donï¿½t shout And parade all about Or others will wonder where theirsï¿½s been!ï¿½ Ex.

2: ï¿½Crowded Tub,ï¿½ by Shel Silverstein Thereï¿½s too many kids in this tub. Thereï¿½s too many elbows to scrub. I just washed a behind That Iï¿½m sure wasnï¿½t mine, Thereï¿½s too many kids in this tub. Cinquain ï¿½ A five line poem with no rhyme scheme or meter ; each line has a set number of words and a specific function. No words can be repeated. Line 1 ï¿½ one word that names the subject Line 2 ï¿½ two words (adjective(s) and/or noun(s)) that describe the subject Line 3 ï¿½ Three verbs that describe actions related to the subject Line 4 ï¿½ Four words that express a feeling about the subject Line 5 ï¿½ One word that refers to or is a synonym for the subject Cinquain Ex: Butterflies Miracles Sonnet ï¿½ A fourteen line poem in iambic pentameter with a set rhyme scheme . There are several different types of sonnets; the type of the sonnet is determined by the rhyme scheme.

An English (or Shakespearean) sonnet has a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEF GG or ABBACDDCEFFE GG. There are two sections to the poem, sometimes separated into stanzas; the final lines of an English sonnet are a couplet that summarizes the main idea of the poem. An Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnet has a rhyme of ABBAABBA CDCDCD or ABBAABBA CDECDE. It is broken into two stanzas, an octet and a sextet. There are several other types of sonnets, but these two are the main forms. Ex: from Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare Two households, both alike in dignity In fair Verona, where we lay our scene From ancient grudge break to new mutiny Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parentsï¿½ strife.

The fear passage of their death-marked love And the continuance of their parentsï¿½ rage, Which, but their childrenï¿½s end, naught could remove, Is now the two hoursï¿½ traffic of our stage; The which, if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. Blank Verse ï¿½ Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter Ex.: from Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? ï¿½Tis the east, and Juliet is the sun. Lyric ï¿½ 1) A poem that is meant to be sung 2) A poem that tries to capture and describe a feeling; it does not tell a story, but creates a mood through vivid images ï¿½ or pictures ï¿½ descriptive words, and the musical quality of the lines; when reading a lyric, it is important not to fall prey to literalism . Shaped verse ï¿½ Poetry in the shape of the topic about which the poem has been written.

Ex: From Michelle H., at Worsley School: Concrete poetry ï¿½ Poetry in which the shape of the poem, more than the words, gives the poem its meaning; without that shape, the poem would not have the intended meaning. Ex: Epigram ï¿½ A polished, terse, and often witty remark, either in prose or verse. In verse the form it is usually a closed couplet or quatrain, but tone is what distinguishes the epigram, rather than form. Ex: I'm tired of Love: I'm still more tired of Rhyme. But Money gives me pleasure all the time. ï¿½ Hilaire Belloc Epitaph ï¿½ Writing that could be placed on a grave, though this may not be done or intended; usually refers to the person who has died. Sometimes epitaphs are written for humorous effect, but only as a joke. Ex 1: Here lies my wife: here let her lie! Now she's at rest ï¿½ and so am I. Ex 2: from William Shakespeareï¿½s gravesite Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, To dig the dust enclosed here.

Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones. Dirge ï¿½ A mournful poem meant to honor someone who has died. Ex: from ï¿½O Captain! My Captain!ï¿½ by Walt Whitman For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths- for you the shores a-crowding, For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head! It is some dream that on the deck, You've fallen cold and dead. Epic ï¿½ A long narrative poem with an exalted style and a heroic theme. Some famous examples include Virgilï¿½s Aeneid and Homerï¿½s The Odyssey. Occasional poem ï¿½ a poem written to commemorate a specific event or occasion, e.g. Yeatsï¿½s ï¿½Easter 1916ï¿½. Ode ï¿½ A poem that is written in praise of a person or object, and is addressed to that person or object.

Ex: from ï¿½Song of Myselfï¿½ by Walt Whitman I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. I loaf and invite my soul, I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass. My tongue, every atom of my blood, formed from this soil, this air, Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same, I, now thirty seven years old in perfect health begin, Hoping to cease not till death. Creeds and schools in abeyance, Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are, but never forgotten, I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard, Nature without check with original energy. Fable ï¿½ a brief tale in prose or verse, intended to illustrate a moral. The characters are often talking animals, as in Aesopï¿½s fables. The final lines of a fable often include, "The moral of the story is," followed by a very clear and brief statement of the lesson the reader is meant to learn.

As a poem, a fable should have a rhyme scheme and a meter. 55 Types of Poetry Forms A poem written about one self's life, personality traits, and ambitions. Example: Jean Ingelow's "One Morning, Oh! So Early" . Burlesque Poetry that treats a serious subject as humor. Example: E. E. Cummings "O Distinct" . Canzone Medieval Italian lyric style poetry with five or six stanzas and a shorter ending stanza. Carpe diem Latin expression that means 'seize the day.' Carpe diem poems have a theme of living for today. Cinquain Poetry with five lines. Line 1 has one word (the title). Line 2 has two words that describe the title. Line 3 has three words that tell the action. Line 4 has four words that express the feeling, and line 5 has one word which recalls the title. Read more about cinquain poetry. Classicism Poetry which holds the principles and ideals of beauty that are characteristic of Greek and Roman art, architecture, and literature. Concrete Also known as "size poetry". Concrete poetry uses typographical arrangements to display an element of the poem.

This can either be through re-arrangement of letters of a word or by arranging the words as a shape. Read more about concrete poetry . Couplet This type of poem is two lines which may be rhymed or unrhymed. Example: Walt Whitman's "To You" . Dramatic monologue A type of poem which is spoken to a listener. The speaker addresses a specific topic while the listener unwittingly reveals details about him/herself. Elegy A sad and thoughtful poem about the death of an individual. Example: Gary R. Hess's "1983" . Epic An extensive, serious poem that tells the story about a heroic figure. Epigram A very short, ironic and witty poem usually written as a brief couplet or quatrain. The term is derived from the Greek epigramma meaning inscription. Epitaph A commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument written to praise the deceased. Example: Ben Jonson's "On My First Sonne" . Epithalamium (Epithalamion) A poem written in honor of the bride and groom.

Free verse (vers libre) Poetry written in either rhyme or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern. Read more: What is Free Verse Poetry? Found Poetry created by taking words, phrases, and passages from other sources and re-framing them by adding spaces, lines, or by altering the text with additions or subtractions. Ghazal A short lyrical poem that arose in Urdu. It is between 5 and 15 couplets long. Each couplet contains its own poetic thought but is linked in rhyme that is established in the first couplet and continued in the second line of each pair. The lines of each couplet are equal in length. Themes are usually connected to love and romance. The closing signature often includes the poet's name or allusion to it. Haiku A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five morae, usually containing a season word. Read more about haiku poetry . Horatian ode Short lyric poem written in two or four-line stanzas, each with its the same metrical pattern, often addressed to a friend and deal with friendship, love and the practice of poetry. It is named after its creator, Horace.

Iambic pentameter One short syllable followed by one long one five sets in a row. Example: la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH. Used extensively in sonnets. Idyll (Idyl) Poetry that either depicts a peaceful, idealized country scene or a long poem telling a story about heroes of a bye gone age. Irregular (Pseudo-Pindaric or Cowleyan) ode Neither the three part form of the pindaric ode nor the two or four-line stanza of the Horatian ode. It is characterized by irregularity of verse and structure and lack of correspondence between the parts. Italian sonnet A sonnet consisting of an octave with the rhyme pattern abbaabba followed by six lines with a rhyme pattern of cdecde or cdcdcd. Read more about Italian sonnets . Lay A long narrative poem, especially one that was sung by medieval minstrels. Limerick A short sometimes vulgar, humorous poem consisting of five anapestic lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have seven to ten syllables, rhyme and have the same verbal rhythm.

The 3rd and 4th lines have five to seven syllables, rhyme and have the same rhythm. List A poem that is made up of a list of items or events. It can be any length and rhymed or unrhymed. Lyric A poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. Many songs are written using this type of writing. Read more about lyric poetry . Memoriam stanza A quatrain in iambic tetrameter with a rhyme scheme of abba -- named after the pattern used by Lord Tennyson . Name Poetry that tells about the word. It uses the letters of the word for the first letter of each line. Narrative A poem that tells a story. Read more about narrative poetry. Ode A lengthy lyric poem typically of a serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal stanza structure. Example: Sappho's "Ode to a Loved One" . Pastoral A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, romanticized way.

Petrarchan A 14-line sonnet consisting of an octave rhyming abbaabba followed by a sestet of cddcee or cdecde Pindaric ode A ceremonious poem consisting of a strophe (two or more lines repeated as a unit) followed by a an antistrophe with the same metrical pattern and concluding with a summary line (an epode) in a different meter. Named after Pindar, a Greek professional lyrist of the 5th century B.C. Quatrain A stanza or poem consisting of four lines. Lines 2 and 4 must rhyme while having a similar number of syllables. Rhyme A rhyming poem has the repetition of the same or similar sounds of two or more words, often at the end of the line. Read more about rhyme usage . Rhyme royal A type of poetry consisting of stanzas having seven lines in iambic pentameter. Romanticism A poem about nature and love while having emphasis on the personal experience. Rondeau A lyrical poem of French origin having 10 or 13 lines with two rhymes and with the opening phrase repeated twice as the refrain.

Senryu A short Japanese style poem, similar to haiku in structure that treats human beings rather than nature: Often in a humorous or satiric way. Sestina A poem consisting of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy. The end words of the first stanza are repeated in varied order as end words in the other stanzas and also recur in the envoy. Shakespearean A 14-line sonnet consisting of three quatrains of abab cdcd efef followed by a couplet, gg. Shakespearean sonnets generally use iambic pentameter. Example: Shakespeare's "Sonnet 2" . Shape Poetry written in the shape or form of an object. This is a type of concrete poetry. Sonnet A lyric poem that consists of 14 lines which usually have one or more conventional rhyme schemes. Read more about sonnets . Sound Intended primarily for performance, sound poetry is sometimes referred to as "verse without words". This form is seen as the bridging between literary and musical composition in which the phonetics of human speech are used to create a poem. Tanka A Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the other seven.

Terza Rima A type of poetry consisting of 10 or 11 syllable lines arranged in three-line tercets. Verse Haiku and limericks.htm Do haiku & try a limerick There is an old prof from KU, whose students read “Week in Review,” Oh, they rave and they rant, saying, “No time. We can’t!” But prof says, “I must read it, too!” OK, not a great limerick, but it only took two minutes to write! Writing haiku and limericks is good for headline writing, helping with meter, cadence and word choice. Headline writing is working in tight spaces and restrictions; same with poetry. So, give it a try.

Haiku: Three lines; they do not have to rhyme (5, 7, 5 syllables each) Limerick: Rhyming and syllable pattern: A (7, 8 or 9 syllables*) A (7, 8 or 9) B (5 or 6) Limerick: Definition, Rules & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com Limerick: Definition, Rules & Examples Watch short & fun videos Start Your Free Trial Today An error occurred trying to load this video. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. You must create an account to continue watching Register for a free trial Are you a student or a teacher? I am a student Start Your Free Trial To Continue Watching As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. Coming up next: What is Rhetoric? - Definition, Devices & Examples You're on a roll. Keep up the good work!

Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds 0:46 Rules Of The Limerick 1:58 Example Limericks Add to Add to Add to Want to watch this again later? Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Custom Courses are courses that you create from Study.com lessons. Use them just like other courses to track progress, access quizzes and exams, and share content. Teachers Organize and share selected lessons with your class. Make planning easier by creating your own custom course. Students Create a new course from any lesson page or your dashboard. From any lesson page: Click "Add to" located below the video player and follow the prompts to name your course and save your lesson. From your dashboard: Click on the "Custom Courses" tab, then click "Create course". Next, go to any lesson page and begin adding lessons. Edit your Custom Course directly from your dashboard. Personalize: Name your Custom Course and add an optional description or learning objective. Organize: Create chapters to group lesson within your course. Remove and reorder chapters and lessons at any time. Share your Custom Course or assign lessons and chapters.

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One such poem is the limerick. The limerick is a closed-form poem with a light and humorous subject matter. It consists of five lines; the first four set up the joke, and the final line delivers the punch line. Let's look at the specific rules a poet must follow when writing limericks. Rules of the Limerick The limerick has a very specific structure. It consists of five lines with the rhyme scheme AABBA. Rhyme scheme is the pattern determining which lines rhyme; a letter of the alphabet represents the rhyming sounds. Rhyme scheme begins with the letter A and uses a new letter for each new ending sound. Thus, in the limerick rhyme scheme AABBA, the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with one another, and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other. In addition to the rhyme scheme, each line of a limerick has a certain number of feet, or pairs of stressed and unstressed syllables. The first, second, and fifth lines usually have three feet, while the third and fourth lines only have two feet. This works out to about 8 or 9 syllables and 5 or 6 syllables, respectively.

This mostly affects the line length, giving the third and fourth lines a shorter and faster read, as compared to the others. The structure for the number of feet is often stretched and not always strictly followed. Many poets add in unstressed syllables in order to make a limerick have logical sense, but the general rule should be followed. Example Limericks As with most concepts, it's much easier to see how the structure works when looking at an example. Read the following limerick by Laurence Perrine: The limerick's never averse limerick - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com Random Word limerick A limerick is a humorous form of poetry that rhymes and has five lines. Many limericks are dirty. When you study literature, you'll probably read some sonnets, sestinas, haiku, and plays written in verse: there might not be much attention given to limericks. That's because limericks are a more popular, non-literary form of poetry: they're mainly humorous and often sexual. A limerick has five lines and follows the rhyme scheme aabba, using what is called anapestic meter (which has to do with syllables).

Many limericks involve a man from Nantucket, usually doing something unprintable with a bucket.

Question: In the poetic form, the limerick, how many lines are there?
Answer: 5