What Makes a Limerick?

A limerick consists of five lines arranged in one stanza. The first line, second line, and fifth lines end in rhyming words. The third and fourth lines must rhyme. The rhythm of a limerick is anapestic, which means two unstressed syllables are followed by a third stressed syllable.

What is the structure of a limerick?

Limerick, a popular form of short, humorous verse that is often nonsensical and frequently ribald. It consists of five lines, rhyming aabba, and the dominant metre is anapestic, with two metrical feet in the third and fourth lines and three feet in the others.

What is an example of a limerick?

Classic Limericks

Here follows some examples of limericks from famous authors: A famed poet and humorist, Dixon Lanier Merritt's limerick "A Wonderful Bird is the Pelican" is often misattributed to poet Ogden Nash: A wonderful bird is the pelican, His bill holds more than his belican.