Six honest serving – man (66)

I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who. I send them over land and sea, I send them east and west; But after they have worked for me, I give them all a rest.

I let them rest from nine till five, For I am busy then, As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea, For they are hungry men. But different folk have different views; I know a person small-- She keeps ten million serving-men, Who get no rest at all! She sends 'em abroad on her own affairs, From the second she opens her eyes-- One million Hows, two million Wheres, And seven million Whys!

R. Kipling

Warm – up exercises

A fat hen

A fat hen A fat hen, a couple of ducks A fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bears A fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bears, four more chairs A fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bears, four more chairs, five fat frivolous females A fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bears, four more chairs, five fat frivolous females, six simple Simons sitting on a stump A fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bears, four more chairs, five fat frivolous females, six simple Simons sitting on a stump, seven Sinbad the sailors sailing the seven seas A fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bears, four more chairs, five fat frivolous females, six simple Simons sitting on a stump, seven Sinbad the sailors sailing the seven seas, eight egotistical ecologists evaluating the earths expectancy A fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bears, four more chairs, five fat frivolous females, six simple Simons sitting on a stump, seven Sinbad the sailors sailing the seven seas, eight egotistical ecologists evaluating the earths expectancy, nine nude Nubian nymphs nimbly nibbling on gnats knuckles and nicotine A fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bears, four more chairs, five fat frivolous females, six simple Simons sitting on a stump, seven Sinbad the sailors sailing the seven seas, eight egotistical ecologists evaluating the earths expectancy, nine nude Nubian nymphs nimbly nibbling on gnats knuckles and nicotine, ten, a skunk sat on a stump, the skunk thunk the stump stunk and the stump thunk the skunk stunk so the stinking skunk got off the stinking stump A fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bears, four more chairs, five fat frivolous females, six simple Simons sitting on a stump, seven Sinbad the sailors sailing the seven seas, eight egotistical ecologists evaluating the earths expectancy, nine nude Nubian nymphs nimbly nibbling on gnats knuckles and nicotine, ten, a skunk sat on a stump, the skunk thunk the stump stunk and the stump thunk the skunk stunk so the stinking skunk got off the stinking stump eleven if you stick a stock of liquor in your locker it is slick to put a lock upon your stock, or some joker who is quicker is gonna trick you of your liquor if you fail to lock your liquor with a lock!

Give me the gift of a grip-top sock,

A clip drape shipshape tip top sock.

Not your spinslick slapstick slipshod stock,

But a plastic, elastic grip-top sock.

None of your fantastic slack swap slop

From a slap dash flash cash haberdash shop.

Not a knick knack knitlock knockneed knickerbocker sock

With a mock-shot blob-mottled trick-ticker top clock.

Not a supersheet seersucker rucksack sock,

Not a spot-speckled frog-freckled cheap sheik's sock

Off a hodge-podge moss-blotched scotch-botched block.

Nothing slipshod drip drop flip flop or glip glop

Tip me to a tip top grip top sock.

articulation warmup for actors

I bought a bit of baking powder and baked a batch of biscuits. I brought a big basket of biscuits back to the bakery and baked a basket of big biscuits. Then I took the big basket of biscuits and the basket of big biscuits and mixed the big biscuits with the basket of biscuits that was next to the big basket and put a bunch of biscuits from the basket into a biscuit mixer and brought the basket of biscuits and the box of mixed biscuits and the biscuit mixer to the bakery and opened a tin of sardines.

Said to be a diction test for would-be radio announcers: To be read clearly, without mistakes, in less than 20 seconds (from Coronet Magazine, August 1948).

These thousand tricky tongue twisters trip thrillingly off the tongue.