Here are two very old limericks. They are from a book published in 1846 by Edward Lear, titled “A Book of Nonsense”.
Remember, limericks emphasize English sentence stress.
In both of these limericks, here is the number of strong words in each line:
Line 1- 3
Line 2- 3
Line 3- 2
Line 4- 2
Line 5- 3
Now, give your ear some practice — see if you can find the strong words by listening for them.
There once was a fly on the wall.
I wondered “why didn’t it fall?”
Were it’s feet stuck?
Or was it just luck?
Or does gravity miss things so small?
There was a young lady named Rose.
Who had a large wart on her nose.
When she had it removed,
Her appearance improved.
But her glasses slipped down to her toes!
The next post (Two Limericks Part 2) will show which words are the strong ones!
PronunciationCoach 