A note on the original

Exercises in Song are the retelling of the English folk song Show Me the Way to Go Home in over a hundred different styles. These include the original ninety-nine styles of Raymond Queneau's Exercices en Style, plus extra bonus versions of contemporary and classic literary fiction.

Exercise in Song 2008 comprised an advent calendar. Each of a selection of Exercises was published daily during December 2008. We also produced a print version of Exercises in Song 2008.

The original song

99 variations

Order in Queneau
Notation 1
Double-entry 2
Litotes 3
Metaphorically 4
Retrograde 5
Surprises 6
Dream 7
Prognostication 8
Synchisis 9
The rainbow 10
Word game 11
Hesitation 12
Precision 13
The subjective side 14
Another subjectivity 15
Narrative 16
Word-composition 17
Negatives 18
Animism 19
Anagrams 20
Distinguo 21
Homeoptotes 22
Official letter 23
Blurb 24
Onomatopoeia 25
Logical Analysis 26
Insistence 27
Ignorance 28
Past 29
Present 30
Reported speech 31
Passive 32
Alexandrines 33
Polyptotes 34
Apheresis 35
Apocope 36
Syncope 37
Speaking personally 38
Exclamations 39
You know 40
Noble 41
Cockney 42
Cross-examination 43
Comedy 44
Asides 45
Parachesis 46
Spectral 47
Philosophic 48
Apostrophe 49
Awkward 50
Casual 51
Biased 52
Sonnet 53
Olfactory 54
Gustatory 55
Tactile 56
Visual 57
Auditory 58
Telegraphic 59
Ode 60
Permutations by groups of 2, 3, 4 and 5 letters 61
Permutations by groups of 5, 6, 7 and 8 letters 62
Permutations by groups of 9, 10, 11 and 12 letters 63
Permutation by groups of 1, 2, 3 and 4 words 64
Hellenisms 65
Reactionary 66
Haiku 67
Free verse 68
Women's magazine 69
Gallicisms 70
Prosthesis 71
Epenthesis 72
Paragoge 73
Parts of speech 74
Metathesis 75
Consequences 76
Proper names 77
Rhyming slang 78
Back slang/Pig Latin 79
Antiphrasis 80
Dog Latin 81
More or less 82
Opera English 83
For ze Frrensh 84
Spoonerisms 85
Botanical 86
Medical 87
Abusive 88
Gastronomical 89
Zoological 90
Futile 91
Modern style 92
Probabilistic 93
Portrait 94
Mathematical 95
Country 96
Interjections 97
Precious 98
Unexpected 99

Exercises in Style: an homage