Play a Joke on somebody – Conversation Practice

Wendy: Did you hear about the joke that Jim played on Bill?

Kyle: No, but I am not surprised to hear that. Jim loves to play jokes on other people. What did he do?

Wendy: He bought Bill a fake lottery ticket for his birthday.

Kyle: What is a fake lottery ticket?

Wendy: It looks like a real lottery ticket, but when you scratch it off, it says that you won a million dollars. But it is just a joke ticket, so it is not real.

Kyle: So, what happened?

Wendy: Bill did the lottery ticket, and he thought that he won a lot of money. So, he started yelling and celebrating. But then, everybody started to laugh because they all knew the truth.

Kyle: That’s funny. How did Bill react?

Wendy: At first, he was kind of angry, but after he calmed down, he started laughing about it, too.

1. to play a joke on (somebody): to do a joke at the expense of another person

  • My brother and I always play jokes on each other.

  • I got angry because he played a joke on me. I was embarrassed in front of everybody.

2. to be fake: to not be real or genuine

  • This tooth is fake.

  • This is not a real Chanel handbag. It is fake.

3. to calm down: to become more relaxed and less angry or excited

  • The children were really wild in the morning, but they calmed down in the afternoon.

  • When I am very angry, I take a walk to calm down.