(in honour of Mother Tongue Day)
That’s what I mean!
The thingy, you know!
The Whatsit!
The Doodad!
That silly gizmo!
What do you mean
You don’t follow me?
The whatnot!
The doover!
That thingume!!
Am I the only one who speaks English around here?
Image from Pexels by Pavel Danilyuk
Have you seen a twirlblast so mickle in its size,
or pulled back straggly elflocks from getting in your eyes?
I wonder if you’ve chorked inside the house when rain has eased,
or been a slugabed all day just doing as you pleased?
Have you grubbled frantically and found the thing you lost,
or wolde for something day and night no matter what it cost?
Have you met a snollygloster? Don’t believe a word,
or heard a tarradiddle that you knew was just absurd?
Have you been jargogled by the things that I have said?
Then better use more modern words to tell your tale instead!
Photo from Pexels by Pixabay
If a day dawns wet and bleak,
the Scots would call it dreich.
If blue sky and sun they saw,
then they’d say it’s braw.
Someone sly is sleekit,
if foolish they are glaikit.
When you shoogle, you shake,
if you mak, you make.
Muckle is big,
howk means to dig.
When you keenie, you cry,
when you skelp, you rush by!
If you’re taking a peek,
you’re taking a keek.
When you’re cranky, you’re crabbit,
a wee beastie’s a rabbit.
Weesht means be quiet,
guid nicht is good night.
Your bahookie’s your bottom,
And yes, all Scots have got ’em.
Teacher’s note: “Dreich” has been voted by Scots as their favourite, most iconic Scots word.
Photo from Pexels by Pixabay
When I am writing poetry
I often use an apostrophe,
Since it can help the rhythm flow
And make words fit where they need to go,
For sometimes lines will have a lump
That readers hit like a nasty bump!
Apostrophes smooth these away,
Which leaves me pleased, I have to say.
If you’re one who’s been confused
By how apostrophes are used,
I’d like to share some simple facts
So you can use them and relax.
Two words need to squeeze to one?
An apostrophe can get it done.
You don’t believe that’s really true?
That previous line shows two to you.
Another use we ought to cover
Is rather tricky you’ll discover.
If you do not, then you don’t,
But if you will not, then you won’t!
Now let’s leave the squeeze behind
For apostrophes of a different kind,
Which often come with letter s,
But does it matter? Answer: “Yes!”
Take this boy’s team as an example:
Just one boy there in that small sample,
But to show there’s two or more
Writing boys’ team, makes us sure.
So a girls’ school means girls only
And a boy there – rather lonely!
If that school became co-ed,
Boys there could relax instead.
Many words that end with s
Don’t need apostrophes, let me stress.
But with those explained above
In my view there’s lots to love!
I wanted to write a poem about Sunday,
simply because it rhymed with Monday.
But then it was Tuesday,
I struggled all day,
and all Wednesday I waited
with breath abated,
and decided that Thursday
would be my verse day!
But no words came to mind,
I got really behind,
now it’s Sunday again
and I’ve lost my pen…
Teacher’s note: “To wait with bated breath” is a very common phrase. Bated is short for “abated”. It is never spelled “abaited”, because bait refers to hunting and trapping.
Shoes always come in pairs,
but pears don’t come in shoes.
And I know that my nose knows
how to make ah-choooooos.
Whales don’t come from Wales,
is it rite or is it right?
And who can tell the difference
between quiet or quite?
Angle grinders not ankle grinders,
it’s so easy to make a slip—
because English is really funny
and tries to make you trip.
Australian Children’s Poetry 