Re: HIT: "ough" poem

[Bonnie Fulmer <GBF1@MARISTB.MARIST.EDU>]

>The general consensus is that the poem I am looking for was penned by
>Dr. Seuss.  "The Tough Coughs As He Ploughs the Dough".  Now I have the
>title, I will search for the text.  Thanks to all who responded.
>--

     I found the poem Monica is looking for, and I thought I'd share
it with everyone, since it seems not many people are familiar with it.
I used to teach it in my English classes, and the poorer spellers loved
having an argument in their defense!
     To grasp this poem, you need to read it aloud (after PRACTICE!):

           HINTS ON PRONUNCIATION FOR FOREIGNERS
                               by T.S.W. (I never found out who this is)

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, lough, and through?
Well done!  And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful word,
That looks like beard and sounds like bird,
And dead: it's said like bed, not bead--
For goodness sake, don't call it "deed"!
Watch out for meat and great and threat.
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.)
A moth is not a moth in mother
Nor both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
And then there's dose and rose and lose--
Just look them up--and goose and choose,
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword,
And do and go and thwart and cart--
Come, come, I've hardly made a start!
A dreadful language? Man alive!
I'd mastered it when I was five!

Enjoy!


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                     ||        Bonnie | Fulmer       ||
                     ||   Spackenkill | High School  ||
                     ||    112 Spack- | enkill Road  ||
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