Mluvené angličtině jakžtakž rozumíte, ale stejně občas nevíte, čemu se ostatní smějí? Některé obraty vám prostě unikají… Právě nad těmi komplikovanými se spolu zastavíme. Pusťte si video a procvičte si porozumění angličtině s Johnem Malkovichem!
Is it a true story or just made up?
On BBC One’s The Graham Norton Show, the famous American actor John Malkovich tells a story about how he finds a woman in his garden. Malkovich does his best to make us believe that it’s a true story from his life, but the story is such a perfectly structured anecdote that it’s hard to accept. What do you think? Is it true or made up?
What makes it an anecdote?
John Malkovich finds a woman in his garden. He calls her ‘a very big woman’ – basically a polite way of saying that she was fat. He later emphasises her size, describing her as a “Michelin woman”.
The woman offers to be Malkovich’s assistant but he gently refuses, saying he doesn’t think it’s a good idea (this makes the audience laugh).
He then gradually comes to the punchline:
- She has written a screenplay called “She Kills”.
- The title looks like it’s been written (scratched in) with a bloody nail.
- The screenplay is about an out-of-work woman who kills a well-known actor (possibly John Malkovich).
Watch the video John Malkovich on finding a woman in his garden. Go through the activities in the lesson to improve your listening comprehension.
Vocabulary
true story – a story that really happened
made-up story – fiction, a story that didn’t actually happen
make us believe – convinces us something is true
perfectly – with absolutely no mistakes
structured – built, constructed
anecdote – a short, amusing story about a real incident or person
resume – restart, begin again
very big/fat – a person that is heavier than normal, corpulent, overweight, obese
politely – behaving well towards others, courteously
emphasises – gives special importance or value to something or someone, highlights
Michelin – a French tyre manufacturer famed for its mascot the “Michelin Man”
refuses – declines to accept something, e.g. an offer or a request
gently – kindly
gradually – developing slowly, step by step
punchline – the final phrase or sentence of a joke or story that prompts laughter
possibly – maybe, perhaps