This week's talking point is a sense of humour. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas come to mind more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.
What British/American comedies have you heard of?
Can you describe their type of humour?
Which are the best known Spanish comedians and comedy series?
What makes them funny?
Who’s the funniest person on TV?
Do you agree with the idea that a person’s sense of humour changes with their nationality or region?
Do you find different things funny from your friends or your family?
Do you forward funny emails that you receive? If not, why not? Can you talk about one that you did?
Do you like practical jokes? Can you describe one that you played or a friend played?
Can you tell jokes? Tell one in English.
Are the important people in your life funny?
Is humour an indicator of happiness?
If you see someone fall or bump into something, do you laugh? Do you like slapstick comedy?
Do you think politically incorrect jokes are funny? Why? Why not?
If someone makes you the subject (butt) of a joke or laughs at you, what do you do?
Talk about a person (in your everyday life, not a comedian) who makes you laugh.
To illustrate the topic, watch the scene A room with a view from British Comedy series Fawlty Towers, featuring John Cleese.
Good morning, Madam. Can I help you?
Are you the manager?
I am the owner, Madam.
What? I am the owner.
I want to speak to the manager.
I am the manager, too.
What?
I am the manager as well.
Manaher. He manaher.
Oh, you're Watt.
I'm the manager!
What?
I'm the manager!
Yes, I know. You've just told me. What's the matter with you? Now, listen to me. I booked a room with a bath. When I book a room with a bath, I expect to get a bath.
You've got a bath.
I'm not paying £7.20p per night plus V.A.T., for a room without a bath!
There is your bath.
You call that a bath? It's not big enough to drown a mouse. It's disgraceful!
I wish you were a mouse. I'd show you.
And another thing. I asked for a room with a view.
Deaf, mad, and blind. This is the view as far as I can remember, madam. Yes, yes, this is it.
When I pay for a view, I expect something more interesting than that.
That is Torquay, Madam.
That is not good enough.
Well, may I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically...
Don't be silly. I expect to be able to see the sea.
You can see the sea. It's over there between the land and the sky.
I need a telescope to see that.
Well, may I suggest that you consider moving to a hotel closer to the sea? Or preferably in it?
Right. Now, listen to me. I'm not satisfied, but I've decided to stay here. However, I shall expect a reduction.
Why, because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment?
Because the room is cold, the bath is too small, the view is invisible, and the radio doesn't work.
No, the radio works. You don't.
What?
I'll see if I can fix it, you scabby old bat. I think we got something then.
What?
I think we got something then!
What are you doing?
Qué?
Madam, don't think me rude, but may I ask, do you by any chance have a hearing aid?
A what?
A hearing aid!
Yes, I do have a hearing aid.
Would you like me to get it mended?!
Mended? It's working perfectly all right.
No, it isn't!
I haven't got it turned on at the moment.
Why not?
The battery runs down.
Now, what sort of a reduction are you going to give me on this room?
60% if you turn it on.
What?
My wife handles all such matters. I'm sure she will be delighted to discuss it with you.
I shall speak to her after lunch.
You heard that all right, didn't you?
What?
Thank you so much. Lunch will be served at half past 12:00.
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Humour. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Humour. Mostrar todas las entradas
miércoles, 15 de febrero de 2017
martes, 24 de septiembre de 2013
Madrid Teacher Series: Do TV prank shows go to far?
Four people are discussing TV prank shows in today's installment of our Madrid Teacher series.
I find the conversation really interesting because it has a spontaneous ring to it, it's both conversational and entertaining, and help us focus on specific characteristics of spoken English.
Two weeks ago we paid attention to two features of spoken language on our entry Office Crime, 'You know?' (for the speaker to gain thinking time) and the listeners' reactions (with an aim to showing the speaker that they are listening). Pay attention to both features in today's video, although there are many more examples of the latter.
Today, in the first part of the video, the person telling the first anecdote wants to check that her audience understands what she's saying, and she uses the expressions 'Ok?', 'yeah?', 'alright?' to that purpose. We can also use some other expressions to check that our audience is paying attention to us or understands:
Is that clear?
[Do] you see what I mean?
Here it is the video clip the first speaker is talking about. A picture is worth one thousand words.
Blind man's dog takes nun's skirt
As a matter of fact, Just for Laughs, the Canadian TV show, is wonderful for English learners. Find a clip of your liking by typing in Just for Laughs in the search box on YouTube and describe it in as much detail as possible.
What TV shows featuring pranks are shown in your country?
Do you remember any specific pranks? Can you describe them?
What practical jokes are typical on April Fool's Day or on the Holy Innocents' Day?
Do pranks sometimes go too far?
Lesson idea:
Pair off students with one student in each pair with their back to the TV. Play a Just for Laughs video clip and the students watching the video are to describe it to their partners (you may pause it several times so that students can describe it as accurately as possible).
Vicky: I saw a TV show last night. I think it was called Just for Laughs, OK? And they had a trick where a blind man is walking his dog in the park. And as he approaches some toilets, some porta-loos, he asks a by-passer to take care of his guide dog for a moment while he uses the bathroom. So he gives the stranger his guide dog and his coffee, and disappears, OK? Erm, no sooner has he gone in, A nun walks past.
Bill: Oh dear, oh dear.
Barbara: Oh no!
Vicky: She gets perhaps twenty meters past the dog, and all of a sudden, it escapes from the harness, because the harness isn’t attached, runs straight off up to the nun, bites her, well, “bites” her. And on her habit, yeah? On the nun’s clothing, on her habit. As it does this, the nun goes, “Ooh!” and turns around with her hands in the air, and the habit comes off of her, in the dogs mouth. So she’s left standing with her underwear in the middle of the park, alright? Obviously, it’s a candid camera show. So the main focus at this point is looking at the person holding the dog, or not holding the dog anymore, ha ha…
Barbara: Should have been holding the dog.
Vicky: Ha ha ha, who was holding the dog, briefly, to watch their facial expressions. And usually it’s, I find it really, really funny because the person just ends up going…coffee, escape, toilet.
Barbara: [Yeah, some of them are really good.]
Bill: [Terror.]
Vicky: Ha ha ha, yeah. Have you seen any good shows, like that? Or got any good examples?
Bill: I remember The Beatles About. Do you remember that one, in the UK? Beatles About?
Vicky: Oh yeah!
Barbara: Oh, I don’t know that one. What’s that?
Bill: They… they do all sorts of pranks and jokes. And I remember one particular one. Er, a guy had a brand new car. And then he was called over whilst some people were working on a construction site and there was a large pile of bricks above his car, and they dropped them onto his brand new car.
Barbara: Oh no!
Bill: But it was a fake car. But he was going crazy. Terrifying.
Vicky: I bet he did.
Bill: Horrible. But funny!
Maria: Yeah. I think these programs are very, really funny but sometimes they can be a bit annoying for people. If… I don’t know, if the jokes are, erm, too hard. Mm, I don’t know.
Barbara: Well you mentioned one just before, when you were mentioning Japan, I had never
heard of that one about…
Vicky: That’s right.
Barbara: Some sniper attack or something. Like some guy pretending that he’s killing people, and I guess they’re like fake bullets, but it must be like in the movies when there’s like blood coming out or something. Paintball or I don’t know what they’re using.
Vicky: That’s right.
Barbara: And like, and some people are there and like watching these people getting killed, and probably thinking, “Oh my God, am I next?” You know? Like that’s like, that’s not funny. I mean, the nun thing is funny, you know, or the construction guy, but I mean that is a bit in bad taste, I think, yeah.
Vicky: Yeah. Well it’s interesting you say that, actually, because some people think that these prank shows should be banned altogether.
Maria: Why?
Vicky: Well I imagine it’s because of examples, such as you’re saying, where the jokes go further than everyday humour, than set-up jokes.
I find the conversation really interesting because it has a spontaneous ring to it, it's both conversational and entertaining, and help us focus on specific characteristics of spoken English.
Two weeks ago we paid attention to two features of spoken language on our entry Office Crime, 'You know?' (for the speaker to gain thinking time) and the listeners' reactions (with an aim to showing the speaker that they are listening). Pay attention to both features in today's video, although there are many more examples of the latter.
Today, in the first part of the video, the person telling the first anecdote wants to check that her audience understands what she's saying, and she uses the expressions 'Ok?', 'yeah?', 'alright?' to that purpose. We can also use some other expressions to check that our audience is paying attention to us or understands:
Is that clear?
[Do] you see what I mean?
Here it is the video clip the first speaker is talking about. A picture is worth one thousand words.
Blind man's dog takes nun's skirt
As a matter of fact, Just for Laughs, the Canadian TV show, is wonderful for English learners. Find a clip of your liking by typing in Just for Laughs in the search box on YouTube and describe it in as much detail as possible.
What TV shows featuring pranks are shown in your country?
Do you remember any specific pranks? Can you describe them?
What practical jokes are typical on April Fool's Day or on the Holy Innocents' Day?
Do pranks sometimes go too far?
Lesson idea:
Pair off students with one student in each pair with their back to the TV. Play a Just for Laughs video clip and the students watching the video are to describe it to their partners (you may pause it several times so that students can describe it as accurately as possible).
Vicky: I saw a TV show last night. I think it was called Just for Laughs, OK? And they had a trick where a blind man is walking his dog in the park. And as he approaches some toilets, some porta-loos, he asks a by-passer to take care of his guide dog for a moment while he uses the bathroom. So he gives the stranger his guide dog and his coffee, and disappears, OK? Erm, no sooner has he gone in, A nun walks past.
Bill: Oh dear, oh dear.
Barbara: Oh no!
Vicky: She gets perhaps twenty meters past the dog, and all of a sudden, it escapes from the harness, because the harness isn’t attached, runs straight off up to the nun, bites her, well, “bites” her. And on her habit, yeah? On the nun’s clothing, on her habit. As it does this, the nun goes, “Ooh!” and turns around with her hands in the air, and the habit comes off of her, in the dogs mouth. So she’s left standing with her underwear in the middle of the park, alright? Obviously, it’s a candid camera show. So the main focus at this point is looking at the person holding the dog, or not holding the dog anymore, ha ha…
Barbara: Should have been holding the dog.
Vicky: Ha ha ha, who was holding the dog, briefly, to watch their facial expressions. And usually it’s, I find it really, really funny because the person just ends up going…coffee, escape, toilet.
Barbara: [Yeah, some of them are really good.]
Bill: [Terror.]
Vicky: Ha ha ha, yeah. Have you seen any good shows, like that? Or got any good examples?
Bill: I remember The Beatles About. Do you remember that one, in the UK? Beatles About?
Vicky: Oh yeah!
Barbara: Oh, I don’t know that one. What’s that?
Bill: They… they do all sorts of pranks and jokes. And I remember one particular one. Er, a guy had a brand new car. And then he was called over whilst some people were working on a construction site and there was a large pile of bricks above his car, and they dropped them onto his brand new car.
Barbara: Oh no!
Bill: But it was a fake car. But he was going crazy. Terrifying.
Vicky: I bet he did.
Bill: Horrible. But funny!
Maria: Yeah. I think these programs are very, really funny but sometimes they can be a bit annoying for people. If… I don’t know, if the jokes are, erm, too hard. Mm, I don’t know.
Barbara: Well you mentioned one just before, when you were mentioning Japan, I had never
heard of that one about…
Vicky: That’s right.
Barbara: Some sniper attack or something. Like some guy pretending that he’s killing people, and I guess they’re like fake bullets, but it must be like in the movies when there’s like blood coming out or something. Paintball or I don’t know what they’re using.
Vicky: That’s right.
Barbara: And like, and some people are there and like watching these people getting killed, and probably thinking, “Oh my God, am I next?” You know? Like that’s like, that’s not funny. I mean, the nun thing is funny, you know, or the construction guy, but I mean that is a bit in bad taste, I think, yeah.
Vicky: Yeah. Well it’s interesting you say that, actually, because some people think that these prank shows should be banned altogether.
Maria: Why?
Vicky: Well I imagine it’s because of examples, such as you’re saying, where the jokes go further than everyday humour, than set-up jokes.
sábado, 16 de marzo de 2013
Explain the joke
Explain the Joke looks like the perfect site to drop by every day to unwind and have a good laugh for five minutes while improving our English.
Jokes are published five times a week from Monday to Friday, and an explanation of each joke is always included.
Q: Where do generals keep their armies?
A: In their sleevies!
Explanation: A general is the leader of an army (singular), so, generals are the leaders of armies (plural). When you put on a shirt your arm goes into the sleeve of the shirt. Often times in English, to make something small you put the “ee” sound on the end- cute becomes cutie, bird become birdie. In this joke arm becomes arm-ee so it goes into your sleeve-ee.
Q: Why did the invisible man turn down a job offer?
A: He just couldn’t see himself doing it!
Explanation: The invisible man is a book by H. G. Wells and also a movie. If you are invisible no one can see you. This joke plays on the phrase, “I can’t see myself doing…” which means you can’t imagine doing something, such as taking a job. What is something you can’t see yourself doing?
If you're intereted in English humour, make a point of dropping by The English Blog regularly, where Jeffrey Hill posts a cartoon published in the English press on that day, explaining the cultural or political background behind it and helping with vocabulary.
Jokes are published five times a week from Monday to Friday, and an explanation of each joke is always included.
Q: Where do generals keep their armies?
A: In their sleevies!
Explanation: A general is the leader of an army (singular), so, generals are the leaders of armies (plural). When you put on a shirt your arm goes into the sleeve of the shirt. Often times in English, to make something small you put the “ee” sound on the end- cute becomes cutie, bird become birdie. In this joke arm becomes arm-ee so it goes into your sleeve-ee.
Q: Why did the invisible man turn down a job offer?
A: He just couldn’t see himself doing it!
Explanation: The invisible man is a book by H. G. Wells and also a movie. If you are invisible no one can see you. This joke plays on the phrase, “I can’t see myself doing…” which means you can’t imagine doing something, such as taking a job. What is something you can’t see yourself doing?
If you're intereted in English humour, make a point of dropping by The English Blog regularly, where Jeffrey Hill posts a cartoon published in the English press on that day, explaining the cultural or political background behind it and helping with vocabulary.
lunes, 7 de mayo de 2012
The two Ronnies: The Optician's
The Two Ronnies was a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the comedy duo of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.
The Opticians is probably their most famous and hilarious sketch.
Self-study activity:
The best thing anybody can do with The Opticians is simply put their feet up and enjoy it.
Apart from that, there are a number of linguistic aspects we can draw our attention to after a closer viewing of the sketch.
Vocabulary to do with not seeing well
optician’s
the (sense of) sight
spectacles
frames
test frames
eye charts
test your eyes
lens
prescription
The frequent use of “you know” and “you see” by the speaker to signal some kind of explanation and give himself time to think.
The use of shall we? in question tags after “Let’s”.
The use of would/could to make polite requests.
The use of What about...? to make suggestions.
You can read the transcript here.
The Opticians is probably their most famous and hilarious sketch.
Self-study activity:
The best thing anybody can do with The Opticians is simply put their feet up and enjoy it.
Apart from that, there are a number of linguistic aspects we can draw our attention to after a closer viewing of the sketch.
Vocabulary to do with not seeing well
optician’s
the (sense of) sight
spectacles
frames
test frames
eye charts
test your eyes
lens
prescription
The frequent use of “you know” and “you see” by the speaker to signal some kind of explanation and give himself time to think.
The use of shall we? in question tags after “Let’s”.
The use of would/could to make polite requests.
The use of What about...? to make suggestions.
You can read the transcript here.
domingo, 22 de enero de 2012
Funny door mats
A few weeks ago David Deubelbeiss published his collection of door mats. They make a funny, easy read that can help us ease through our day with a smile.
viernes, 31 de diciembre de 2010
New Year's Resolution Cartoons
Just to welcome 2011 with a broad smile, go over this slideshow from MSNBC by Daryl Cagle featuring a number of cartoons about New Year's Resolutions.
H/T to Jeffrey Hill .
jueves, 25 de noviembre de 2010
Funny stories
From David Deubel comes this presentation where we can listen to and read some funny anecdotes to spice up our day. Be patient, it may take a few seconds to load.
jueves, 4 de noviembre de 2010
Jokes!
Why not start your day with a few English jokes? I hope you enjoy these ones. Many thanks to David Deubel for this slideshow.
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)