Rhymes: Lady from Niger; Pelican

As I explained in Songs and Rhymes, limericks are fun way to train your pronunciation.

Young lady from Niger

There was a young lady from Niger,	ðeə wɒz ə jʌŋ ˈleɪdi frɒm ˈnaɪʤə,
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.	huː smaɪld æz ʃiː rəʊd ɒn ə ˈtaɪgə.
They came back from the ride	ðeɪ keɪm bæk frɒm ðə raɪd
With the lady inside,	wɪð ðə ˈleɪdi ɪnˈsaɪd,
And the smile on the face of the tiger.	ænd ðə smaɪl ɒn ðə feɪs ɒv ðə ˈtaɪgə.

A wonderful bird is the pelican

A wonderful bird is the pelican,	ə ˈwʌndəfʊl bɜːd ɪz ðə ˈpɛlɪkən,
His bill will hold more than his belican,	hɪz bɪl wɪl həʊld mɔː ðæn hɪz belican,
He can take in his beak	hiː kæn teɪk ɪn hɪz biːk
Enough food for a week	ɪˈnʌf fuːd fɔːr ə wiːk
But I'm damned if I see how the helican!	bʌt aɪm dæmd ɪf aɪ siː haʊ ði helican!

"hellican" in "how the hellican" is a nonsense (invented) word, but it rhymes with "how the hell he can" which makes the limerick funny.

Songs: Beatles - "I Saw Her Standing There"

As I explained in Songs and Rhymes, most fun way to train your pronunciation is to sing along (using correct IPA) your favorite songs. Like Beatles - "I Saw Her Standing There" from AZlyrics.com

"I Saw Her Standing There"	"aɪ sɔː hɜː ˈstændɪŋ ðeə"
one two three four	wʌn tuː θriː fɔː
Well, she was just seventeen	wɛl, ʃiː wɒz ʤʌst ˈsɛvnˈtiːn
You know what I mean	juː nəʊ wɒt aɪ miːn
And the way she looked was way beyond compare	ænd ðə weɪ ʃiː lʊkt wɒz weɪ bɪˈjɒnd kəmˈpeə
So how could I dance with another (Ooh)	səʊ haʊ kʊd aɪ dɑːns wɪð əˈnʌðə (uː)
When I saw her standing there	wɛn aɪ sɔː hɜː ˈstændɪŋ ðeə
Well she looked at me, and I, I could see	wɛl ʃiː lʊkt æt miː, ænd aɪ, aɪ kʊd siː
That before too long I'd fall in love with her	ðæt bɪˈfɔː tuː lɒŋ aɪd fɔːl ɪn lʌv wɪð hɜː
She wouldn't dance with another (Whooh)	ʃiː ˈwʊdnt dɑːns wɪð əˈnʌðə (Whooh)
When I saw her standing there	wɛn aɪ sɔː hɜː ˈstændɪŋ ðeə
Well, my heart went "boom"	wɛl, maɪ hɑːt wɛnt "buːm"
When I crossed that room	wɛn aɪ krɒst ðæt ruːm
And I held her hand in mine	ænd aɪ hɛld hɜː hænd ɪn maɪn
Whoah, we danced through the night	Whoah, wiː dɑːnst θruː ðə naɪt
And we held each other tight	ænd wiː hɛld iːʧ ˈʌðə taɪt
And before too long I fell in love with her	ænd bɪˈfɔː tuː lɒŋ aɪ fɛl ɪn lʌv wɪð hɜː
Now I'll never dance with another (Whooh)	naʊ aɪl ˈnɛvə dɑːns wɪð əˈnʌðə (Whooh)
When I saw her standing there	wɛn aɪ sɔː hɜː ˈstændɪŋ ðeə
Well, my heart went "boom"	wɛl, maɪ hɑːt wɛnt "buːm"
When I crossed that room	wɛn aɪ krɒst ðæt ruːm
And I held her hand in mine	ænd aɪ hɛld hɜː hænd ɪn maɪn
Whoah, we danced through the night	Whoah, wiː dɑːnst θruː ðə naɪt
And we held each other tight	ænd wiː hɛld iːʧ ˈʌðə taɪt
And before too long I fell in love with her	ænd bɪˈfɔː tuː lɒŋ aɪ fɛl ɪn lʌv wɪð hɜː
Now I'll never dance with another (Whooh)	naʊ aɪl ˈnɛvə dɑːns wɪð əˈnʌðə (Whooh)
Since I saw her standing there	sɪns aɪ sɔː hɜː ˈstændɪŋ ðeə
Oh since I saw her standing there	əʊ sɪns aɪ sɔː hɜː ˈstændɪŋ ðeə
Oh since I saw her standing there	əʊ sɪns aɪ sɔː hɜː ˈstændɪŋ ðeə

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