Beware of heard a dreadful word

This poem is available to listen to online. Recorded in .mp3 format you will require a compatible player. Feel free to link to this page, and to use the recordings in the classroom, but please don’t hotlink to them or steal them for your website.

Another Crazy English Pronunciation Poem

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

Your browser needs to accept mp3 files.

Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead, is 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).

Your browser needs to accept mp3 files.

A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, or broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
And then there’s doze 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, I’ve hardly made a start!

Your browser needs to accept mp3 files.

A dreadful language? Man alive!
I learned to speak it when I was five!
And yet to write it, the more I sigh,
I’ll not learn how ’til the day I die.

Your browser needs to accept mp3 files.

Anonymous (unless you know better)

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you
On hiccough, thorough, laugh 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 cord 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? Why, man alive!
I’d learned to talk it when I was five.
And yet to write it, the more I tried,
I hadn’t learned it at fifty-five.

Я понимаю, что вы уже знаете
Жестких и сук и кашель и тесто?
Другие могут споткнуться, но не вам
На икоты, основательной, смех и до конца?
Отлично сработано! А теперь вы хотите, возможно,
Чтобы узнать о менее знакомые ловушки?

Остерегайтесь слышал, ужасным словом
Это выглядит как борода и звучит как птица;
И мертвым: он сказал, как кровать, а не шарик —
Ради бога не называют это «делом».
Следите за мясом и большим и угрозы.
Они рифмуются с ванной и прямой и долга.

Мотылек не моли у матери,
ни как в потрудились, отвар в брата,
А вот это не подходит для там
Также дорогой и страх за медведя и груши,
А потом там дозы и розы и потерять —
Просто посмотреть их — и гусь и выбирать.

И шнур и работать и карточные и Уорд,
И шрифт и передний и слово, и меч,
И и идут и расстроить и телегу —
Приди, я вряд ли сделал старт!

Страшная язык? Почему, человек жив!
Я научился говорить, когда мне было пять лет.
И все же, чтобы написать ее, тем больше я пытался,
Я не узнал его на пятьдесят пять.

English is a funny language and pronounciation can be a new student’s nightmare.
NOTE: I don’t know the author of this poem. I found it on a book and author was anonymous.