What is a Limerick?

A limerick is a funny poem that rhymes. They were made popular by Edward Lear, It usually has a set number of syllables, 5 lines, and a rhyming pattern. Lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme, and lines 3 and 4 rhyme. The syllables go: lines 1, 2 and 5 = 8 syllables, lines 3 and 4 = 6 syllables.

This is a famous limerick:

There was an old man with a beard
Who said "It is just as I feared -
Two owls and a hen
Two larks and a wren
Have all built their nest in my beard!"

(By Edward Lear)