arithmetic
Ret's ESL Jokes
Boy: “I failed arithmetic.”
Father: “Why?”
Boy: “When the teacher asked ‘How much is 2 × 4?’ I answered ‘eight’.”
Father: “But that’s correct!”
Boy: “Then she said, ‘How much is 4 × 2?’”
Father: “What’s the f*cking difference?”
Boy: “That’s exactly what I asked her too!”
Vocabulary
fail: not to succeed in an exam or subject.
How much is…: a question used to ask for the result of a calculation.
He failed his maths test.
The teacher asked, “How much is 6 × 7?”
Grammar Focus
The joke relies on simple past narration and direct questions.
Past simple: The teacher asked a question and the boy answered.
Question form (wh-question): How much is 2 × 4?
Synonyms & Alternatives
Fail: not pass, not suceed.
How much is: what is the result of (in this context).
Mini Dialogue
Oliver: I failed my driving theory test.
Henry: Really? What happened?
Oliver: The examiner asked, “How much is 90 minus 30?”
Henry: And you still got it wrong?