Three Little Ghostesses

The three ghosts in this rhyme are busy making a mess of their toast. The long word endings make them sound sillier with every line. Say "ghosts" and then "ghostesses" to hear the extra beats.

Why do the words sound odd?

The ordinary plurals are "ghosts", "posts", "fists", "wrists", and "beasts". G. F. Northall printed this version in English Folk-Rhymes in 1892 and noted that an extra syllable was used in some Northamptonshire plurals ending in st. The spellings here follow that old version. Northall also gives a shorter Sussex rhyme in which the ghosts fight with their fists.

Make up a line

Try "little foxesses, jumping over boxesses", or pick two rhyming words and give both the same extra ending. Take turns saying a line. The challenge is to keep the rhythm without laughing.