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Lesson 20
by Paolo Rossetti

Level  : Beginner
Topic  : Joke
Grammar: Prepositions

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Vocabulary


A man rushes in to see the doctor:

Man:    Doctor, doctor! May I come in?

Doctor: Yes, what is it?

Man:    When I stand on my feet blood doesn't rush to my feet, but
        when I stand on my head blood immediately rushes to my head!
        Why is this?

Doctor: It's because your feet aren't empty.


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EXERCISE 20.1 - Vocabulary

Please match the words on the left with the meanings on the right.

1. to rush         a. parts of your body, at the ends of your legs
2. to stand        b. red liquid, in your body. It comes out when you
                      cut yourself
3. feet            c. nothing inside; opposite of full
4. blood           d. move in a hurry; move quickly
5. a head          e. now; at this moment
6. immediately     f. part of your body, on top of your neck
7. because         g. used to explain something; used to answer "why?"
8. empty           h. keep your body straight up on your legs; not 
                      sitting or lying down

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EXERCISE 20.2 - Grammar

Prepositions are small words that tell us where, when and how things
happen. They are: on, in, at, by, with, next to, to, inside, etc.

Sometimes it's very difficult to know which ones to use. For example, in
the joke, we can find:

        rush in                 
        rush to

So, how do we know the difference? Well, there's no easy answer, but
there are some patterns.

Let's imagine:          walk on
                        walk in
                        walk at
                        walk by
                        walk to

        She's walking on the sand. (on top of the sand)
        She's walking in the sand. (in very deep sand, up to her knees)
        She's walking at the beach.(not sand, at a place)
        She's walking by the sand. (near the sand)
        She's walking to the sand. (going to the sand, on her way there)

        
Please fill in the blanks with on, in, at, by, to.

1. I'm going to drive ... my sister's house after dinner.
2. The yellow folder is ... the desk, which is ... the window.
3. We can meet ... the restaurant ... Robson Street.
4. The new office is ... the airport and and it is located ... the
   shopping mall ... the third floor.
5. He waited for his flight for 2 hours ... the chairs ... the waiting
   lounge ... Toronto airport.

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EXERCISE 20.3 - Reading Comprehension

Please read the text and choose the correct answers.

1.  What is the purpose of this text?
        (to help people understand English; to make people laugh;
         to support doctors) 

2.  Why did the man want to see the doctor?
        (because he was sick; because he had an important question;
         because he was lost)

3.  What did the doctor answer?
        (that his feet have no blood in them; that his head is empty;
         that he is not a doctor)

4.  Why is this joke funny?
        (because if the man's feet are not empty, then his head is
         empty because the man has no brain; 
         because the doctor is very busy and the man has a very strange
         question; 
         because of course the man's feet aren't empty)

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Answers                    Go to ---> Online English Content
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