Jokes in English for the ESL/EFL Classroom
A Project of The Internet TESL Journal
Teachers often use jokes in the ESL/EFL classroom to teach culture, grammar and vocabulary.
Puns
(STAMPS on the ground)
-- and says: catch up.
Why do you think she is now wearing a size 16?
I guess she just 8 + 8 (ate and ate).
The other man replies, "No, I'm Norwegian."
All that I said was "Hi Jack", but very loud.
A man came up from behind and he wanted to pass her. He opened the window and yelled, "Pull over! Pull over!"
The lady yelled back, "No, it's a sweater!"
"That's impossible", says the other man. "Dogs don't speak!"
"It's true! I'll show you." He turns to his dog, "How's the situation in England?"
The dog answers: "Rough, rough."
A student asked, "What's the matter?"
"Tense," answered the teacher, describing how he felt.
The student paused, then continued, "What was the matter? What has been the matter? What might have been the matter... ?"
Rumiko: Oh, no. I left it open so I can get more money.
Teacher: How can you get more money?
Rumiko: The weather report said we would have some change in our weather!
Girlfriend: I love U2!
Boyfriend: I love you too, but what is your favorite music group?
When he got there, the tomb was open and Mozart was sitting there tearing up pieces of paper.
The man asked: "What are you doing with all of your great works of music?"
Mozart replied, "I'm decomposing!".
The fairy complies and says: "You can call me whenever you want."
"How can I call you. Please tell me your name." the man says.
"My name is Nuff," says the fairy.
"Well", says the man "That is an odd name. I have never heard of it before."
The fairy replies, "Surely you will have heard of Fairy Nuff." (fair enough)
One day when Out was in and In was out, the mother skunk said "Out, go out and find In and tell In to come in." Out went out to find In to bring In back in. Within a minute, Out came back in from going out and Out brought In right back in.
Amazed, the mother skunk said, "Out, you just went out to find In and brought In right back in! How did you do it?"
To this, Out replied "Instinct!" [In stinked]
(Students will most likely answer the color)
Then you say, "yes, that's one difference but there's another:
The White Sox play in Chicago and the Red Sox play in Boston!
A: "You know, my daughter has married an Irishman"
B: "Oh, really?"
A: "No, O'Reilly"
The barman looks a little taken aback but serves him and Tiny. Finally, curiosity gets the better of him;
Barman: Why do you call him Tiny?
Man: Because he's my newt.It pays to be prepared to teach newt, lizard and minute afterwards, but expect a few groans as the penny drops!
Once upon a time, somewhere in Europe, a family with three sons lived on a farm. As the farm was too small to support all of them, and the parents were not yet ready to retire, the sons decided to emigrate to South America, where they bought a ranch and raised beef cattle.
Question: So what did they call their ranch?
Answer: They called it "Focus", because that's where the sun's rays meet (sons raise meat).Three brothers started a cattle ranch out west. They were very successful, but could not agree what to call their ranch. They finally agreed to wire their father back east and abide by his decision. He replied at once they should call it "focus". They did so, but now argued endlessly about why he had given them that name. They sent him another wire to ask why that name. He replied, "Simple, because focus is where the sun's rays meet (son's raise meat)."
B: I quit after a week. I found the work too frustrating.
A: What happened?
B: No matter what I said to the customers, they were always dead right!
"Why?", asks his friend a little perplexed. "There's nobody around for miles. I could scream and not a soul would hear us up here.....!"
"Ah," replied the other, "haven't you heard? There are mountain ears?"
(mountaineers)
Max: Is he really? A wreckless type, huh? What does he do for a living?
Lynn: He is a dent-ist.
(If the student can also speak Japanese, then continue the joke.)
Max: I suppose he's had to pay a lot in damages.Lynn: No. He usually says "sorry" and gets away with it.
Max: Don't they complain?
Lynn: It may be strange, but they don't.
Max: What are they afraid of?
Lynn: They're afraid of shikaeshi from the dentist!
(For those of you who don't speak Japanese, "shikaeshi" means revenge or getting back at someone while "shikaishi," which sounds similar, refers to a dentist.)
B: No, I didn't.
A: Really? It made headlines!
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