Arts >> Books >> Literature

How to Write a Limerick

There once was a fellow named Jerry,
Who sought to write limericks for Mary.
Perplexed, our dear poet
With eHow's help wrote it '
And Mary he later did marry.

Things You'll Need

  • Dictionaries
  • Poetry Books
  • Rhyming Dictionaries
  • Thesauri
  • Pencils
  • Paper
  • Pens
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare to write five lines of verse. If you're stumped, try starting off your limerick with the traditional 'There once was a ...'

    • 2

      Create the following stress pattern in lines one, two and five: da-DA da-da-DA da-da-DA da. For example, "There ONCE was a FEL-low named JER-ry...." You can omit the last unstressed syllable if you prefer.

    • 3

      Create the following stress pattern in lines three and four: da-DA da-da-DA da. For example, "Per-PLEXED our dear PO-et." As before, you have the option of omitting the last syllable.

    • 4

      Make sure your limerick's rhyme scheme is a-a-b-b-a. In other words, the first, second and fifth lines all rhyme with one another; the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other.

    • 5

      Exploit puns and wordplay.

+:
+:

Literature

Related Categories