A Great Gram of Grammar From Grandma (Comic Poem no 129)

 In future I think I should teach the past 

Put rules in poems, so that they will last 

Better than rules are words you can copy

You say what I say; we'll both be happy. 

Do you see now what I saw yesterday?

Are you paying? Did you pay yesterday? 

We paid yesterday. We played yesterday. 

We practise what we've learned early each day.

D'you hear what I say? You heard what I said? 

Grandma's a widow. 'cause Grandpa was dead.

I wired up the lights. They hired and fired me.

I'm tired. He's tired. We're all tired - go to bed. 

I'm speaking. I speak. Yesterday I spoke. 10

I'm writing. I write. Yesterday I wrote. 10

I'm a teacher. I teach. Yesterday I taught. 11

I'm fishing. I like fishing. Look what I've caught! 11

I'm running. I run. Yesterday I ran. 

I'm winning. I win. Yesterday I won. 

I'm swimming. I swim. Yesterday I swam. 

I'm doing homework. Yesterday's task's done.

I hope you are listening. What have you learned? 

I hear the phone ringing. Tell me - who's phoned? 

I'll watch the toast. Yesterday it was burned. 

You keep watching it. Make sure it gets turned. 

You're spending my money. I've done the sums. 

We are out of cash. Let's hope something good comes.

What have you bought for me? What have you brought for tea? 

What shall I take bring? Please don't say anything.

Banks like to lend. The poor like to borrow. 

We love to spend. Don't think of tomorrow.

A library lends. Readers borrow books.

I hope this is cooked. We rely on cooks.

They're hearing. They hear. Yesterday they heard. 

D'you see what I mean? D'you get what I said? 

Did you read what I wrote? What have I read! 

They've all gone home. Was it something I said? 

Everybody knows where everyone goes. 

Does anyone know me? Who can show me?

Interesting books. I'm interested. 

I hope the grammar will stay in my head. 

Fight the good fight. Let's go. Turn off the light.

I was fraught, when I taught. It came to nought. 

He's a good speaker, gives lots of speeches. 

She told us a lot, knows what she teaches. 

Many and few are for things we can count 

How much, more or less, measures large amounts. 

I hope you've had fun. Now I have to run.

That's all. We've finished. She says we are done. 

-ends-

Swim, Swam, swum - comic poem by Angela Lansbury number ...

Today I thought

That while I swim

I'll not waste time

I shall begin

From Wikipedia. Swimming

So let's dive in

We shall begin

The sooner we start

The sooner we win

 Today I swam

Today I've swum

The grammar lesson

Has begun

In the beginning

I'd thought of swimming

My dearest dears, here's the thing

You add ing when continuing

I hope that's clear

It should clear up a lot of tears

And add a laugh

To conquer fears

While done, and won

Far past, contract

Add ing to things

Which are abstract

Yesterday we began

With verbs known to

Each English man

And women, too

Add me and you, and others, too

I have begun, to have some fun

I had planned the lesson

While I had swum

I did have fun, made a beginning

To teaching you

The past was swam

Whilst I was swimming.

In marriages you say I do

What's in the past is gone and done

In the beginning, swimmers keep on winning

Look back at the past, and say I won.

In the future I shall begin

In the future I shall win

In the infinitive, what I want to do

Is to teach swimming and grammar to you.

I know that we have hardly begun

In the future you'll be able to pass it on

In the future you'll be able to reflect on what you've done

Your past successes, didn't we have fun!

-ends-

About the Author of this blog, Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books, including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

I  also have a blog on comic poems.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Love is like a cuckoo

Love is like a cuckoo
by Hazel Nutter (aka Angela Lansbury)

Love is like a cuckoo
I love to hear it sing
But other people warn me
It's fun, it's false, it's bling

It wants to shove the others out
It wants to be the one
It does not care for others
When all is said and done

A cuckoo starts off small
But it grows big and hungry
You race about to feed it
It's ungrateful - and angry!

Cuckoo from Wikipedia.

If you suspect a cuckoo
What is it you should do?
Make sure you are not cuckoo
And the cuckoo's not with you.

-ends-
Copyright Angela Lansbury.
Photo by Per Harald Olsen.

Poem inspired by Dolly Parton's Love Is like a Butterfly.
I watched a butterfly flutter past and thought, just write a song starting  LOVE IS, making a metaphor from something you see. My first thought was bird.

I thought of names of birds, Magpie, Robin, cuckoo. Cuckoo offered the greatest opportunities for puns and metaphors. I might try Robin next.
Please share links to your favourite posts.
See my travel posts on
travelwithangelalansbury.blogger.com