Limericks - Smile CourseBook - Class 5 - English

The old man in a tree was _______________.
i. Stung by a bee                                              
ii. chased by a bee
iii. irritated by a bee                                       
iv. horribly bored by a bee

Who slept on a table?
i. an old man with a beard                           
ii. an old man in a tree
iii. an old man of Moldavia                          
iv. an old man with a flute

The old man on a hill, seldom if ever _______________ .
i. wore his grandmother’s gown               
ii. wore his grandmother’s bonnet
iii. stood still                                                      
iv. wore his shoes

How many larks made their nests in the old man’s beard?
i. seven                                                                
ii. four
iii. two                                                                 
iv. one

In one of the limericks we have just read, we came across the idiom ‘took flight.’
Which means to flee or to run off. Here are some other idioms using the word flight.
Flight of fancy; and unrealistic or fantastic idea; top flight: among the best of a particular group
fight or flight: to defend oneself or run away; in flight: the act of flying

Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with the correct idioms.
a.    The deer took _______________ as soon as it spotted a lion crouching in the grass.
b.    At the end of autumn, when birds start to migrate for winter, we often see geese
        _______________ in the sky.
c.     We had dinner at a _______________ restaurant and the meal was outstanding as we
        expected.
d.    The milkmaid was so busy indulging in a _______________ that she dropped her pail of
        water.
e.    When faced with a predator, all animals have to decide whether their reaction is going to be
        _______________ .

Fill in the blanks in each of the sentences below with the right word from the limericks.
a.    An Old Man of Moldavia had the most _______________ behaviour.
b.    A _______________ ran into the boot of the Old man with a flute.
c.     An old Man with a _______________ said, ‘It is just as I feared!’
d.    An Old Man on a hill ran up and down in his _______________ gown.
e.    the Old Man in a tree was bored by a _______________ of a bee.

What was the most curious behaviour of the old man of Moldavia?

Why do you think the serpent took flight from the boot of the old man who played a flute?

What did the old man on the hill wear?

Describe the bee that troubled the old man in a tree.

Which of the five limericks did you like the most? Why?

There was an Old Man with a bread,
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!’

a. What are the rhyming words in this stanza?
b. What animals built their nests in the man’s beard?
c. How did the man feel about the nests in his beard?

Rearrange the adjectives in the sentences below in the correct order.
a. The boy has a furry old orange tabby fat cat.
b. The lady bought a rich old sparkling diamond ring.
c. The house is situated at the brick haunted corner old of the street.
d. The giraffe had patches on its tall brown skin.
e. The man bought an elderly elegant French wooden old clock.

Make an acronym for the order adjectives to remember it.