На уроках английского язика большинство учителей используют лимерики или стихотворения, или считалочки, скороговорики; можно также использовать загадки или шарады, а также кросворды. Они используются во время фонетической зарядки для отработки определённых звуков, ритмики, лексического и граматического запаса учеников или во время минутки релаксации.
LIMERICKS
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!’
There was an Old Man who supposed,
That the street door was partially closed;
But some very large rats,
Ate his coats and his hats,
While that futile old gentleman dozed.
There was an Old Man of Columbia,
Who was thirsty, and called out for some beer;
But they brought it quite hot,
In a small copper pot,
Which disgusted that man of Columbia.
There was an Old Man with a gong,
Who bumped at it all day long;
There was an Old Person of Chili,
Whose conduct was painful and silly,
He sat on the stairs,
Eating apples and pears,
That imprudent Old Person of Chili.
There was a Young Lady whose chin,
Resembled the point of a pin;
So she had it made sharp,
And purchased a harp,
And played several tunes with her chin.
There was a Young Lady whose bonnet,
Came untied when the birds sat upon it;
But she said: ’I don’t care!
All the birds in the air
Are welcome to sit on my bonnet!’
There was a young man called Esser,
Whose knowledge grew lesser and lesser.
But they called out, ‘O law!
You’re a horrid old bore!’
So they smashed that Old Man with a gong.
And it grew so small –
He knew nothing at all
And now he is a college professor.
Особенно интересно детям проследить, как переводят некоторые поэты лимерики с английского языка на русский. Так, в оригинале лимерик звучить таким образом:
There was a young lady of Niger,
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside,
And the smile on the face of the tiger!
Перевод, близкий к оригиналу
В Нигерии девушка гибкая
На тигре каталась с улыбкою.
Однажды катались они до зари,
И девушка вдруг оказалась внутри.
А тигрова морда светилась улыбкою.
(Переклад С. Я. Маршака):
(1)
Улыбались три смелых девицы
На спине у бенгальской тигрицы.
Теперь же все три –
У тигрицы внутри,
А улыбка – на морде тигрицы.
(2)
Улыбаясь, три смелые леди
Разъезжали верхом на медведе.
Вернулись все три
У медведя внутри,
А улыбка – на морде медведя.
В некоторых случаях ученикам приходится предложить закончить лимерик самостоятельно:
There once was a pauper named Meg
Who accidentally broke her _______.
She slipped on the ______.
Not once, but thrice
Take no pity on her, I __________.
TONGUE-TWISTERS
Clowns grow glowing crowns.
Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where is the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Richard’s wretched ratchet wrench.
Rubber baby buggy bumpers.
Betty Botter bought some butter but, said she, the butter’s bitter.
If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter will make my bitter batter better.
So she bought some better butter, better than the bitter butter,
Put it in her bitter batter, made her bitter batter better.
So ‘twas better Betty Botter bought some better butter.
A box of biscuits,
a box of mixed biscuits,
and a biscuit mixer.
When a doctor doctors a doctor,
does the doctor doing the doctoring
doctor as the doctor being doctored wants to be doctored or
does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as he wants to doctor?
If two witches would watch two watches, which witch would watch which watch?
The soldier’s shoulder surely hurts!
Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs.
One smart man, he felt smart.
Two smart men, they both felt smart.
Three smart men, they all felt smart.
If you stick a stock of liquor in your locker
It is slick to stick a lock upon your stock
Or some joker who is slicker
Is going to trick you of your liquor
If you fail to lock your liquor with a lock.
RIDDLES
Two brothers we are,
Great burdens we bear,
On which we are bitterly pressed;
The truth is to say,
We are full all the day,
And empty when we go to rest. (Buckets)
What is white when it is dirty and black when it is clean? (A blackboard)
It happens once in a minute, twice in a week, and once in a year? What is it? (The letter ‘e’)
What is always coming, but never arrives? (Tomorrow)
Take off my skin – I will not cry, but you will! What am I? (Onion)
Where can you find roads without cars, forests without trees and cities without houses? (On the map)
My first is the two letters which begin the alphabet,
My second is the Past Tense of the verb ‘to send,
My whole is the antonym of present ... (Absent)
My first is the indefinite article,
My second is the synonym of ‘wide’
My whole means ‘in a foreign country ... (Abroad)
My first is a preposition,
My second is a synonym of ‘receive’,
My whole is the antonym of ‘remember’ ... (Forget)
COUNTING OUT RHYMES
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
1... 2... Buckle my shoe
3... 4... Knock at the door
5... 6... Pick up sticks
7... 8... Lay them straight
9... 10... A big fat hen
11... 12... Dig and delve
13... 14... Maids a–courting
15... 16... Maids in the kitchen
17... 18... Maids a–waiting
19... 20... I’ve had plenty!
One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told,
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten for a time
Of joyous bliss.
One, two, three, four, five,
I caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
I let him go again.
O–U–T spells out goes you!
A B C D E F G
Come on out and play with me.
H I J
come and play.
K L M
Come with them.
N O P
Near the tree.
Q R S T U V
Oh, how happy we will be.
W X Y Z
Lots of fun for you and me.
One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.
Why did I let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on the right.
One, two. How are you?
Three, four. Who’s at the door?
Five, six. My name is Fix.
Seven, eight. Sorry, I’m late.
Nine, ten. Say it again.
One – have some fun,
Two – I like you,
Three – watch TV,
Four – run to the door,
Five – learn to drive
Six – learn to fix,
Seven – jump seven,
Eight – don’t be late,
Nine – feel fine,
Ten – say it again!
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