Level: Pre-intermediate and above

Brief description:

This joke is designed to raise students’ awareness of humor in different cultures while learning both British and American English vocabulary.

Instructions: Read the joke and answer the questions below. Then, using the questions as a guide, perform the joke for everyone. Make everyone laugh!

In the night an old woman who had never married, used her telephone. She said, "Come quickly. There is a man climbing up the wall. He wants to enter my bedroom through the window."

"You have made a mistake. This is the fire brigade. You need the police."

"I know what I'm doing. Come at once. I insist. His ladder's too short."

Questions:

1) Why did the woman call the fire department instead of the police?

2) Was the woman scared of the man who was climbing up the wall? Why / Why not?

Answers:

1) The woman wanted the fire brigade to bring a long ladder. The man climbing up the wall was unable to enter her window because his ladder was too short.

2) The woman wasn’t scared of the man. She didn’t have a husband so she was happy a man was trying to meet her.

GLOSSARY

• Fire brigade (UK) / Fire department (USA) (noun): an organization that is in charge of preventing and stopping unwanted fires (Sở cứu hỏa)

• Ladder (noun): a piece of equipment for climbing up and down a wall, the side of a building, etc, consisting of two lengths of wood or metal that are joined together by steps or rungs (Cái thang)

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).