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JOSIE'S POEMS

The Problem
With English Spellings


By Josie Whitehead

Studying

NATIONAL LITERACY WEEK

By Josie Whitehead

National Literacy Week

Why does 'eight' rhyme with 'great'

And 'plate' rhyme with 'straight'?

     Yet all of them have different spellings.

Then 'greed' rhymes with 'plead'

And 'succeed' rhymes with 'swede'

     ‘Oh no!’ Is this what you’re yelling?

 

Then there’s 'why' and there’s 'guy'

And then 'try' rhymes with 'sigh' -

     Different spellings but similar sounds.

Then you’ve 'sew' and you’ve 'no',

But then 'know' and 'although';

      Our spelling’s designed to confound.

 

Look at 'glue', then at 'new'.

Then there’s 'through', also 'shoe'.

    Well, they all sound the same when we speak.

So did those who were able,

Then sit at a table,

      Planning 'spellings' for Literacy Week?

Copyright on all my poems

NATIONAL LITERACY WEEK??? - On 'JOSIE'S POEMS' I don't go in for a 'week' but for 'Literacy Lifetime'.  I was a teacher and English Language was one of my main subjects.  You'll see it still is and the layout of poetry correctly is another main subject also.  Let's get it right.  Rhyming poems are so important, especially for children who are learning our complicated English language!  Don't you agree?     Josie 

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