building a bridge
Ret's ESL Jokes
A man rubs a magic lamp and a genie appears.
“You get one wish,” says the genie.
The man thinks and says, “I’m scared of travelling by plane. I wish for a bridge from California to Hawaii so I can drive there.”
The genie rolls his eyes. “Do you have any idea what you’re asking? That’s thousands of miles of ocean. It would take structural engineering beyond belief — billions of tons of concrete and steel. Come on, man, wish for something else.”
The man nods and says, “All right, then. I wish to understand women… what makes them tick.”
The genie pauses, swallows hard, and asks,
“Do you want two lanes or four on that bridge?”
Vocabulary
Roll one’s eyes: to show disbelief or irritation.
Beyond belief: so extreme that it is hard to imagine.
She rolls her eyes at the suggestion.
The cost was beyond belief.
Grammar Focus
The joke mainly uses present simple for narration and modal verbs for hypothetical requests.
Present simple (narrative present): A genie appears and says.
Modal verb “would”: It would take structural engineering beyond belief.
Synonyms & Alternatives
Wish: desire, request.
Scared: frightened, afraid.
Mini Dialogue
Daniel: I’m scared of speaking in public.
Imogen: That’s beyond belief — you’re brilliant at it!
Daniel: I wish I could understand what makes audiences tick.
Imogen: Start with two jokes, not four.