visiting a prisoner
Ret's ESL Jokes
A woman went to visit her husband in prison. They sat across from each other and talked for a long time.
When the guard finally announced that visiting hours were over, she stood up to leave. But just before reaching the door, she turned back to the correction officer.
“You really shouldn’t make my husband work so hard,” she said angrily. “The poor man is completely exhausted!”
The officer burst out laughing. “Work? Ma’am, I don’t know what he’s been telling you, but all he does is eat, sleep, and sit in his cell. He doesn’t even go out to the yard!”
The wife’s face flushed with fury. “Don’t you lie to me!” she snapped. “He’s just told me he’s been digging a tunnel every single day for months!”
Vocabulary
Burst out laughing: to suddenly begin laughing loudly.
Flushed with fury: to suddenly go red in the face because of strong anger.The officer burst out laughing.
The wife’s face flushed with fury.
Grammar Focus
The joke mainly uses past simple to narrate the sequence of events and past perfect continuous to describe an action that began in the past and continued up to another past moment.
Past simple: She stood up to leave and turned back to the officer.
Past perfect continuous: He told me he’d been digging a tunnel every day for months.
Synonyms & Alternatives
Burst out laughing: exploded with laughter, roared with laughter.
Flushed with fury: went red with rage, turned crimson with anger.
Mini Dialogue
Mrs Smith: You shouldn’t make my son study so hard. The poor boy is exhausted!
Teacher: Study? Madam, all he does is chat and look out of the window in class!
Mrs Smith: Don’t you lie to me! He said he’s been practising the piano for months!