a man and a parrot

Placez le pointeur de la souris sur les mots soulignés, sans cliquer

Years ago, a man boards a planeGETS ON AN AIRCRAFT and is surprised to find a parrot strapped inFASTENED WITH A SEATBELT to the seat next to his. Not in a cage — just sitting there like a regular traveller.

Once in the air, the stewardessFEMALE FLIGHT ATTENDANT comes by. The man politely asks, “Could I have a coffee, please?”

The parrot squawksSCREAMS HARSHLY LIKE A BIRD, “And bring me a whisky, you uselessNO GOOD; NOT HELPFUL pigeon!”

Slightly rattledSHAKEN OR NERVOUS, the stewardess brings the parrot its whisky… but forgets the coffee.

The man reminds her gently, “Excuse me — I asked for a coffee?”

The parrot slamsDRINKS QUICKLY AND FORCEFULLY its drink back and screechesSHOUTS IN A LOUD AND HARSH VOICE, “Make it a double this time, you walking delay!”

FlusteredCONFUSED AND EMBARRASSED, the stewardess returns with another whisky… still no coffee.

Fed upTIRED AND ANNOYED, the man snapsSPEAKS ANGRILY WITHOUT THINKING: “This is ridiculous! I’ve asked twice! Get me my coffee, you incompetent twitSILLY OR STUPID PERSON — or I’ll come get it myself!”

Seconds later, two enormous security guards appear out of nowhere, grabTAKE HOLD OF SUDDENLY both the man and the parrot, and eject them mid-airIN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLIGHT.

As they’re plummetingFALLING QUICKLY AND SUDDENLY, the parrot turns to the man and says, “You’ve got gutsCOURAGE OR BRAVERY, palA SLANG WORD THAT MEANS "FRIEND". Stupid — but gutsyWITH A LOT OF COURAGE OR BRAVERY.”

You do know how to fly, right?YOU KNOW HOW TO FLY, DO YOU NOT?

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In this joke, let's look at three useful expressions: rattled, flustered, and plummeting. To be rattled means to be nervous or shaken up. Flustered means confused and upset, especially in a social situation. To plummet means to fall very quickly and suddenly.

•  She looked rattled after the argument.

•  The waiter got flustered when everyone ordered at once.

•  The price of petrol plummeted overnight.

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This joke uses the past continuous tense to describe actions that were in the midst of happening in the past, such as "was falling" and "were drinking." It also uses direct speech to show exactly what the characters said. The past continuous is useful for setting the scene and showing ongoing actions in the past.

•  They were drinking cooldrinks on the patio when the rain began.

•  He was falling through the air when he remembered his parachute.

•  She shouted, "Where's my luggage?"

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to none of them. Feel free to copy, share, or tell them at your next dinner party.