Monat: Oktober 2025

It can be easy as in lolly,

in molly-coddle or in dolly.

And „O“ alone, that is no shock,

can be said as in clock or rock.

But if you add to rock the roll

you hear the sounds of pop and soul.

So when the single vowel you double

you are getting into bigger trouble.

So far so good,

food is like mood,

long or short in root or stood.

But other „OS“ are not so cool:

They love to fool

you, for instance, blood

is openly pronounced like mud.

Some „OS“ are standing in a row.

Poll, stroll, mole, hole are in a flow.

Some match indeed in one way or other

like only brother and old mother.

But mind the moth

in the broth!

Before a show you take a shower,

after you sow you grow a flower,

and it takes two

to tango, too.

Two to Toulouse, yet mouse and house

and loo and loose and loft and louse.

I hope it does not cause you sorrow,

that „OW“ in window and tomorrow,

while in some cases, here and now,

you name an animal a sow.

Soap, soar and sour differ like southern and south,

so you better know before opening you mouth!

Gisela Munz-Schmidt

( I wrote this poem for my pupils who were sometimes in utter desperation about the unlogical ways of pronouncing English words!