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A Funny Man

NCERT Class 7 · English Based on NCERT Class 7 English textbook · Free CBSE study kit

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Chapter Notes

Overview
This chapter is a humorous and nonsensical poem by Natalie Joan about a funny man who does everything backwards and upside down — wearing a shoe on his head, hats on his feet, offering a currant bun as a rose, and hopping home on his head. It exists in the syllabus to introduce students to the elements of wit and humour in poetry, including inversion, vivid imagery, rhyme, and the use of dialogues. The one big idea a student must walk away with is that humour in poetry often comes from breaking everyday logic and expectations, and that poets use special language tools like phrasal verbs, rhyme schemes, and word order inversion to create a playful, memorable effect.
Key Concepts (12)
Wit and Humour
Wit is the ability to use words or ideas in a clever, quick, and amusing way. Humour is the quality of being funny or entertaining, often by showing the absurd or unexpected side of things.
e.g. When the funny man offers a currant bun and calls it a rose, it is both witty (clever wordplay) and humorous (absurd action).
Inversion
Inversion is a poetic device where the normal word order of a sentence is changed, usually to maintain a rhyme or rhythm.
e.g. Instead of saying 'I had never seen such a funny sounding sight before,' the poet writes 'But never had I seen before / Such a funny sounding sight.'
Rhyme Scheme
The rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming words at the end of each line in a poem, usually shown using letters like AABB or ABAB.
e.g. In 'A Funny Man,' the rhyme scheme is ABCB (lines 2 and 4 rhyme): 'street' and 'feet' (B), while 'man' (A) and 'me' (C) do not rhyme with each other.
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb with a preposition or adverb that together function as a single unit, often with a meaning different from the individual words.
e.g. 'walking down' (from the poem), 'taking out', 'sat down' — these are phrasal verbs.
Imagery
Imagery is the use of vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) to create a picture in the reader's mind.
e.g. The poem uses vivid imagery to create a humorous and nonsensical scene, like 'a shoe upon his head' and 'hats upon his feet.'
Dialogue
Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters in a poem or story, shown with quotation marks.
e.g. The poem uses dialogue form: the funny man says, 'Allow me to present Your Highness with a rose,' and the poet replies, 'Well! I never saw a rose with such a funny looking smell.'
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of words.
e.g. The phrases 'sounding sight' and 'hopped home' are examples of alliteration (repetition of 's' and 'h' sounds).
Limerick
A limerick is a nonsensical and funny verse consisting of five lines with a specific rhyme scheme AABBA.
e.g. There was an Old Man with a beard, / Who said, 'It is just as I feared! / Two Owls and a Hen, / Four Larks and a Wren, / Have all built their nests in my beard!'
Currant
A currant is a small seedless raisin, often used in baking.
e.g. The funny man takes out a 'currant bun' (a bun with currants) and holds it to the poet's nose, pretending it is a rose.
Staggered
Staggered means moved unsteadily, as if about to fall.
e.g. The poet 'staggered back against the wall' in surprise when the funny man held a currant bun to her nose.
Monologue
A monologue is a long speech by one character in a poem or play, without interruption.
e.g. The poem is NOT a monologue; it is in dialogue form because both the funny man and the poet speak.
Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that compares two things using 'like' or 'as'.
e.g. The poem does NOT use simile; the phrases 'sounding sight' and 'hopped home' are examples of alliteration, not simile.
How It Works
Identifying the Rhyme Scheme of a Poem
  1. Step 1: Read the poem line by line and identify the last word of each line.
  2. Step 2: Assign the letter 'A' to the last word of the first line.
  3. Step 3: For each subsequent line, if the last word rhymes with a previous line, assign the same letter; if it does not rhyme with any previous line, assign the next new letter.
  4. Step 4: Write the pattern of letters (e.g., ABCB) to show the rhyme scheme.
💡 Students often forget that only the END sounds matter for rhyme scheme, not the spelling. For example, 'street' and 'feet' rhyme even though they are spelled differently.
Forming and Using Phrasal Verbs
  1. Step 1: Identify the base verb (e.g., take, look, run, put, break, call).
  2. Step 2: Add a preposition or adverb (e.g., up, after, in, over, off, out, down).
  3. Step 3: Understand that the new combination often has a meaning different from the individual words (e.g., 'take up' means to begin a hobby, not to physically pick something up).
  4. Step 4: Use the phrasal verb in a sentence, changing the tense of the verb if needed.
💡 A common mistake is to separate the verb and preposition in a phrasal verb when they should stay together. For example, 'take up painting' is correct; 'take painting up' is awkward but sometimes acceptable. In CBSE exams, keep them together.
Writing a Limerick
  1. Step 1: Line 1 introduces a person or a place (e.g., 'There was a child from Delhi').
  2. Step 2: Lines 2-4 tell a silly or funny story about that person or place.
  3. Step 3: Line 5 gives an unexpected or funny ending.
  4. Step 4: Ensure the rhyme scheme is AABBA (lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme with each other; lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other).
💡 Students often forget that limericks must have a specific rhythm (anapestic meter) and the AABBA rhyme scheme. A limerick without the correct rhyme scheme is just a short poem, not a limerick.
Identifying the Tone of a Poem
  1. Step 1: Read the poem carefully and note the overall feeling or mood it creates.
  2. Step 2: Look for repeated words (like 'funny' in this poem) that hint at the tone.
  3. Step 3: Consider the actions and dialogues of the characters — are they serious, playful, absurd, or sad?
  4. Step 4: Choose a tone word (e.g., humorous, playful, nonsensical, light-hearted) and support it with evidence from the poem.
💡 Students often confuse 'tone' with 'mood.' Tone is the poet's attitude toward the subject (e.g., playful), while mood is how the reader feels (e.g., amused). In this poem, the tone is humorous and playful because the poet describes absurd events in a cheerful way.
Exam Traps — Don't Make These Mistakes
⚠ Confusing 'Sounding Sight' with a Mistake
✗ The poet made a mistake by writing 'sounding sight' because sight cannot make a sound.
→ The poet deliberately uses this phrase (called synesthesia or mixed imagery) to create a humorous effect. It is not a mistake; it is a poetic device to show that the funny man's appearance was so absurd it seemed to make a sound.
✓ The phrase 'sounding sight' is a deliberate use of mixed imagery to emphasise the absurdity and humour of the funny man's appearance. It suggests that the sight was so unusual it felt like it had a sound.
⚠ Misidentifying the Rhyme Scheme as AABB
✗ The rhyme scheme of the poem is AABB.
→ Students often assume that all rhyming poems have a simple AABB pattern. In 'A Funny Man,' only lines 2 and 4 rhyme (e.g., 'street' and 'feet'), while lines 1 and 3 do not rhyme with each other or with lines 2 and 4. The correct rhyme scheme is ABCB.
✓ The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABCB, where the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme with each other.
⚠ Calling the Poem a Monologue
✗ The poem is a monologue because only one person is speaking.
→ The poem contains dialogues — both the funny man and the poet speak. The funny man says, 'Allow me to present Your Highness with a rose,' and the poet replies, 'Well! I never saw a rose with such a funny looking smell.' Therefore, it is in dialogue form, not a monologue.
✓ The poem is in dialogue form because it includes conversations between the funny man and the poet.
⚠ Thinking the Funny Man is Ill-Mannered
✗ The funny man was ill-mannered because he did strange things.
→ The poem explicitly says, 'His manners were polite.' He addresses the poet as 'Your Highness' and offers a 'rose' (though it is a currant bun). His actions are absurd, but his manners are polite.
✓ The funny man was polite and well-mannered, as shown by his courteous address ('Your Highness') and his polite smile.
⚠ Confusing 'Currant' with 'Current'
✗ The funny man took out a 'current bun' (spelling mistake).
→ 'Currant' is a small seedless raisin, while 'current' means happening now or a flow of electricity. The poem uses 'currant bun,' which is a bun with currants.
✓ The funny man took out a 'currant bun,' which is a bun containing currants (small dried grapes).
Compare & Contrast
Number of speakers in a poem or play
Monologue
Dialogue
A monologue has only one speaker delivering a long speech, while a dialogue involves two or more speakers having a conversation. In 'A Funny Man,' the poem uses dialogue because both the funny man and the poet speak.
Figure of speech used for sound or comparison
Alliteration
Simile
Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound (e.g., 'sounding sight'), while a simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as' (e.g., 'as brave as a lion'). The poem uses alliteration, not simile.
Attitude vs. feeling in a poem
Tone
Mood
Tone is the poet's attitude toward the subject (e.g., humorous, playful), while mood is the emotional feeling the reader experiences (e.g., amused, cheerful). In this poem, the tone is playful and humorous, creating a cheerful and amused mood.
Exam Focus
Marks pattern: 2 MCQs (1 mark each) on rhyme scheme and alliteration, 1 SA (3 marks) on inversion or tone, 1 LA (5 marks) on character analysis or writing a limerick, and 1 grammar question (2 marks) on phrasal verbs.
Most asked: Rhyme scheme identification (ABCB pattern) · Inversion and its purpose in poetry · Alliteration examples from the poem ('sounding sight', 'hopped home') · Tone and mood of the poem · Phrasal verbs (meanings and usage) · Dialogue vs. monologue · Limerick structure and rhyme scheme (AABBA) · Character traits of the funny man
Don't skip: Explain the use of inversion in the poem with an example.; Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem and explain how it contributes to the humorous quality.; Write a limerick following the AABBA rhyme scheme.; Describe the character of the funny man and explain why his behaviour is appealing.
One-Line Revision (read aloud before the exam)
  1. The poem 'A Funny Man' is about a man who wears a shoe on his head and hats on his feet, showing absurd and humorous behaviour.
  2. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABCB, where the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme.
  3. Inversion is used in the line 'But never had I seen before' to maintain the rhythm of the poem.
  4. The tone of the poem is humorous and playful because the poet describes nonsensical events in a cheerful way.
  5. The phrase 'sounding sight' is an example of alliteration and mixed imagery, creating a humorous effect.
  6. The funny man is polite and well-mannered, as shown by his address 'Your Highness' and his polite smile.
  7. Phrasal verbs like 'walking down', 'taking out', and 'sat down' are combinations of a verb with a preposition or adverb.
  8. A limerick is a five-line funny poem with the rhyme scheme AABBA.
  9. The poem uses dialogue form because both the funny man and the poet speak to each other.
  10. The word 'currant' means a small seedless raisin, not 'current' which means happening now.
  11. The poet staggered back against the wall in surprise when the funny man offered a currant bun as a rose.
  12. The funny man hopped home on his head, showing his completely upside-down and nonsensical behaviour.
  13. Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound, as in 'hopped home' and 'sounding sight'.
  14. The overall mood of the poem is cheerful and amused because of the funny man's unusual actions.
  15. The poem teaches us that humour often comes from breaking everyday logic and expectations.

MCQs — 10 Questions with Answers

Q1. What does the funny man wear on his head in the poem 'A Funny Man'?

  • A. A shoe ✓
  • B. A hat
  • C. A crown
  • D. A currant bun

Answer: A — The first line of the poem clearly states 'He wore a shoe upon his head,' making this the correct factual recall.

Q2. Which phrasal verb from the poem means 'to remove or extract something'?

  • A. walked down
  • B. took out ✓
  • C. sat down
  • D. hopped home

Answer: B — 'Took out a currant bun' uses the phrasal verb 'took out,' which means to remove or extract something from a location.

Q3. What is the rhyme scheme used in 'A Funny Man'?

  • A. ABAB
  • B. ABCB
  • C. AABB ✓
  • D. AAAA

Answer: C — The poem follows AABB pattern where consecutive line pairs rhyme: street/feet, me/polite, and so on.

Q4. Why does the funny man address the poet as 'Your Highness' when offering a currant bun?

  • A. He respects the poet's actual royal status
  • B. He is being polite and playful, treating her as someone special despite offering something silly ✓
  • C. He does not know the poet's actual name
  • D. He is making fun of the poet

Answer: B — The funny man combines polite, formal language ('Your Highness,' 'Allow me to present') with absurd actions, creating intentional humour through contrast.

Q5. Which of the following is NOT a reason why the poet repeats the word 'funny' throughout the poem?

  • A. To emphasise the absurd and illogical nature of the man's behaviour
  • B. To create a rhythm and musical quality in the verse
  • C. To show that the poet is afraid of the funny man ✓
  • D. To highlight how unusual and unexpected each action is

Answer: C — The repetition of 'funny' emphasises absurdity and creates rhythm, but there is no evidence in the poem that the poet is afraid; she is amused and intrigued.

Q6. What does the phrase 'funny sounding sight' in the poem illustrate?

  • A. The poet's poor hearing ability
  • B. A contradiction where senses are mixed (something visual called 'sounding'), creating absurd imagery ✓
  • C. That the funny man is actually making loud noises
  • D. That the poet is confused about what she is seeing

Answer: B — Mixing sensory descriptions ('sounding' + 'sight') is intentional absurdist language that reinforces the nonsensical, topsy-turvy world of the poem.

Q7. Which character trait of the funny man is revealed when he addresses the poet as 'Your Highness' and says 'Allow me to present'?

  • A. He is aggressive and rude
  • B. He is shy and timid
  • C. He is polite and well-mannered despite his absurd actions ✓
  • D. He is trying to insult the poet with formal language

Answer: C — His polite phrasing and formal tone contrast sharply with his irrational behaviour, showing that politeness and absurdity can coexist—a key element of the poem's humour.

Q8. Ramesh reads the line 'He turned the other way about, / And hopped home on his head.' What does this action suggest about the funny man's character?

  • A. He is angry with the poet's question
  • B. He is completely unpredictable and refuses to follow logical conversation or social norms ✓
  • C. He did not hear the poet's question
  • D. He is injured and cannot walk normally

Answer: B — Instead of answering a reasonable question, he ignores it and performs an even more absurd action, proving he operates in his own illogical world.

Q9. What is the primary effect of the inversion 'But never had I seen before / Such a funny sounding sight' compared to normal word order?

  • A. It makes the sentence easier to understand
  • B. It maintains the poetic rhythm and creates emphasis on the unusual nature of what the poet witnessed ✓
  • C. It confuses the reader intentionally
  • D. It slows down the pace of the poem

Answer: B — Inverting 'I had never seen before such a funny sounding sight' to 'never had I seen before' preserves the AABB rhyme scheme and creates poetic emphasis.

Q10. Which statement best explains why the poet included dialogues in the poem 'A Funny Man'?

  • A. To make the poem longer and easier to read
  • B. To allow the reader to experience the funny man's absurdity directly and feel the poet's surprise and amusement ✓
  • C. To teach the reader about grammar and speech
  • D. To avoid writing descriptive passages

Answer: B — Dialogues make readers active participants in the absurd situation, experiencing the comedy through the poet's confused but charmed reactions rather than just observing it.

Flashcards

What does the funny man wear on his head and feet?

He wears a shoe on his head and hats on his feet, creating an intentionally absurd image.

Define phrasal verbs with one example from the poem.

Phrasal verbs combine a verb with a preposition or adverb to create new meaning; 'took out' means removed or extracted.

What is the rhyme scheme of the poem 'A Funny Man'?

The poem uses AABB rhyme scheme (pairs of consecutive lines rhyme), giving it a musical and playful quality.

Why does the funny man offer a currant bun instead of a rose?

He offers a currant bun to create absurd humour by substituting an actual rose with an edible item, breaking logical expectations.

What is inversion in poetry and why did the poet use it?

Inversion means changing normal word order; the poet used it ('never had I seen') to maintain rhythm and create poetic flow.

Identify one example of alliteration from the poem.

'Funny feeling' and 'hopped home' use alliteration with the repetition of consonant sounds to create a playful effect.

What does 'staggered back' mean in the context of the poem?

The poet moved unsteadily backwards against the wall, showing surprise and shock at the funny man's behaviour.

How does the dialogue in the poem contribute to humour?

The dialogue allows readers to experience the absurd situation directly through the poet's confused reactions, making the humour more engaging.

What is the tone of 'A Funny Man' and what creates it?

The tone is light, humorous, and whimsical, created through illogical actions, vivid imagery, and repetition of the word 'funny.'

How does the funny man respond when asked why he wears hats on his feet?

He completely ignores the question and hops home on his head instead, showing his unpredictable and nonsensical nature.

Important Board Questions

Define 'phrasal verbs' and give two examples from the poem 'A Funny Man' with their meanings. [2 marks]

Phrasal verbs combine a verb with a preposition or adverb to create a single meaning unit that differs from the individual words. Look for 'walking down,' 'taking out,' 'sat down' in the poem.

Explain how the funny man's polite manner contrasts with his absurd actions. How does this contrast create humour in the poem? [3 marks]

Note that he uses formal language ('Allow me to present,' 'Your Highness') while doing illogical things (wearing shoes on head, offering currant bun as rose). This juxtaposition of politeness and nonsense creates intentional, comedic surprise.

Analyse the role of literary devices (rhyme scheme, inversion, alliteration, and vivid imagery) in making 'A Funny Man' a humorous and entertaining poem. Support your answer with specific examples from the text. [5 marks]

AABB rhyme scheme creates a playful, musical tone; inversion ('never had I seen') maintains rhythm; alliteration ('funny feeling,' 'hopped home') adds sound effects; vivid imagery (shoe on head, hats on feet) makes absurdity concrete and memorable. Explain how each device contributes to the overall humorous effect.

Assertion-Reason Questions for A Funny Man

Q1. Assertion (A):

The funny man's actions are described using vivid and unusual imagery.

Reason (R):

The poet uses phrases like 'shoe upon his head,' 'hats upon his feet,' and 'hopped home on his head' to create a nonsensical and absurd picture.

Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A — Both the assertion and reason are true. The reason directly explains why the assertion is correct—the poet uses specific, unusual visual descriptions to convey the funny man's absurdity. These concrete images are what make the poem's humor vivid and memorable.

Q2. Assertion (A):

Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb with a preposition or adverb that have meanings different from their individual words.

Reason (R):

The phrasal verb 'take up' means the same as the individual words 'take' and 'up' when used separately.

Answer: C — A is true but R is false — The assertion is true—phrasal verbs do have unique meanings different from their components. However, the reason is false. 'Take up' (meaning to begin) has a meaning quite different from just combining 'take' and 'up' separately. The reason contradicts the assertion's correct explanation.

Q3. Assertion (A):

The poet addresses the funny man as 'my friend' after he questions her about his unusual clothing.

Reason (R):

This shows that the poet accepts and feels friendly toward the funny man despite his strange behavior.

Answer: B — Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A — Both statements are factually true based on the poem's content. However, the reason does not directly explain why the poet calls him 'friend.' It interprets the meaning of this gesture but doesn't explain the literal reason. The reason is a reasonable inference rather than a direct cause.

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Case-Based Questions (CBQ) for A Funny Man

Case Study:

Ravi is preparing to give a presentation at school. He carefully organized his notes and placed them on his study table. He then prepared a snack—a currant bun—to eat while studying. In his hurry, he accidentally placed his plate with the bun in the bedroom instead of taking it to the kitchen. Later, when Ravi practiced his presentation and laughed at his own silly mistake, his sister helped him clean up the mess. Ravi realized that even mistakes can lead to funny moments and memorable experiences.

Q1. What does the passage suggest about Ravi's preparation for his presentation?

  • A. He was disorganized and careless
  • B. He was well-prepared but made a small mistake due to being in a hurry ✓
  • C. He did not care about his presentation
  • D. He intentionally placed food in the wrong room

Answer: B

Q2. How did Ravi's mistake lead to a positive outcome?

  • A. He learned to be more organized in the future
  • B. He found humor in the situation and had a memorable experience ✓
  • C. He discovered a new recipe for currant buns
  • D. He decided to stop eating snacks while studying

Answer: B

Q3. What can we infer about Ravi's sister from this passage?

  • A. She was helpful and supportive in cleaning up after him ✓
  • B. She was angry at his mistake
  • C. She did not care about his presentation
  • D. She always makes similar mistakes

Answer: A

Q4. Which phrase from 'A Funny Man' poem does this passage best relate to?

  • A. wore a shoe upon his head
  • B. His manners were polite
  • C. funny looking smell ✓
  • D. funny feeling sound

Answer: C

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