— Can I get you a drink?
— Yeah, something , I'm . Parking's an absolute around here, isn't it? I have to reverse into the tiniest of . Still, I it. I mean, parking's not exactly brain , is it? And I should .
— Why is that? Are you a ?
— Careful! Not a doctor. I'm a brain . Big . Big difference. Yeah, I actually know a about this. What's the difference between a doctor and a brain surgeon? One's not exactly brain surgery. The other is brain surgery. So, uh, what do you guys do?
— I'm an .
— Oh, that's good. Yeah, I could do with an accountant. Filling in those forms can get really , can't it? Still, it's not exactly brain surgery, is it? I mean, brain surgery, believe me, is very . Are you an accountant, too?
Watch the sketch from 0:00 to 0:58, and drag the missing words into the script.Regarde le sketch de 0:00 à 0:58, et fais glisser les mots manquants dans le script.
Watch the sketch from 0:58 to the end, and drag the missing words into the script.Regarde le sketch de 0:58 à the end, et fais glisser les mots manquants dans le script.
— Uh, no, I work for a .
— Oh, that's a very job, isn't it? I really you. I don't think I could ever do what you do. I say that because it's emotionally draining, not because it's . I mean, it's not exactly brain surgery, is it? Which, as a brain surgeon, is what I do.
— Lionel, here's your . Brain surgeon, you know.
— Yeah, he it.
— Did they keep you at the Space Centre?
— As .
— Have you Lionel?
— Uh, no. Hello, Lionel.
— So, Geoff, how do you earn a crust?
— Uh, well, I'm a . I work mainly with . It's, um, it's pretty work. What do you do?
— Well, I don't mean to , but, uh, I'm a brain surgeon.
— Brain surgery? Not exactly rocket , is it?
— Oh, that's a very job, isn't it? I really you. I don't think I could ever do what you do. I say that because it's emotionally draining, not because it's . I mean, it's not exactly brain surgery, is it? Which, as a brain surgeon, is what I do.
— Lionel, here's your . Brain surgeon, you know.
— Yeah, he it.
— Did they keep you at the Space Centre?
— As .
— Have you Lionel?
— Uh, no. Hello, Lionel.
— So, Geoff, how do you earn a crust?
— Uh, well, I'm a . I work mainly with . It's, um, it's pretty work. What do you do?
— Well, I don't mean to , but, uh, I'm a brain surgeon.
— Brain surgery? Not exactly rocket , is it?
Why is the sketch funny? Drag the words into the explanation.Pourquoi le sketch est-il drôle ? Fais glisser les mots dans l'explication.
Two expressions
When something is easy, British people often say: “It's not rocket science!” or “It's not brain surgery!” (« Ce n'est pas sorcier ! »). Rocket science and brain surgery are the two examples of a very difficult job.
When something is easy, British people often say: “It's not rocket science!” or “It's not brain surgery!” (« Ce n'est pas sorcier ! »). Rocket science and brain surgery are the two examples of a very difficult job.
Lionel is a . He can't stop talking about his : everything is “not exactly brain surgery”, so every conversation comes back to . When he says he the charity worker, he quickly turns it into a compliment for himself. The other guests are too to say anything, but the answer “Yeah, he mentioned it” shows that everybody is of him.
Then Geoff arrives. He is a rocket , so he has the only job that is even more than brain surgery! Lionel says “I don't mean to boast”… and then he . And Geoff uses Lionel's own against him: “Brain surgery? Not exactly rocket science, is it?” The show-off is at his own game. That's the .
Then Geoff arrives. He is a rocket , so he has the only job that is even more than brain surgery! Lionel says “I don't mean to boast”… and then he . And Geoff uses Lionel's own against him: “Brain surgery? Not exactly rocket science, is it?” The show-off is at his own game. That's the .
Read the rule, then write the question tags.Lis la règle, puis écris les question tags.
Question tags: « n'est-ce pas ? »
Lionel uses them all the time: Parking's an absolute nightmare around here, isn't it? · Tax forms can get really confusing, can't they? (in the sketch: can't it, because he thinks of “filling in tax forms”) · It's not exactly brain surgery, is it?
Positive sentence → negative tag: It's a selfless job, isn't it?
Negative sentence → positive tag: It's not rocket science, is it?
Same auxiliary (be, have, can, will…). No auxiliary? do / does / did: You work for a charity, don't you?
Your voice matters!
↘ going down: you are sure, you just want the other person to agree… or you are being ironic. That's how Lionel and Geoff say them: Not exactly rocket science, is it? ↘
↗ going up: it is a real question, you don't know the answer: You're a doctor, aren't you? ↗ (I'm not sure).
Lionel uses them all the time: Parking's an absolute nightmare around here, isn't it? · Tax forms can get really confusing, can't they? (in the sketch: can't it, because he thinks of “filling in tax forms”) · It's not exactly brain surgery, is it?
Positive sentence → negative tag: It's a selfless job, isn't it?
Negative sentence → positive tag: It's not rocket science, is it?
Same auxiliary (be, have, can, will…). No auxiliary? do / does / did: You work for a charity, don't you?
Your voice matters!
↘ going down: you are sure, you just want the other person to agree… or you are being ironic. That's how Lionel and Geoff say them: Not exactly rocket science, is it? ↘
↗ going up: it is a real question, you don't know the answer: You're a doctor, aren't you? ↗ (I'm not sure).
Parking's an absolute nightmare around here, ?
It's not exactly brain surgery, ?
You're an accountant, ?
Tax forms are really confusing, ?
You work for a charity, ?
Lionel didn't take a taxi, ?
He has mentioned it a hundred times, ?
You can't park here, ?
Geoff works mainly with rockets, ?
They kept you late at the Space Centre, ?
You won't tell him, ?
Nobody likes a show-off, ?
It's not exactly brain surgery, ?
You're an accountant, ?
Tax forms are really confusing, ?
You work for a charity, ?
Lionel didn't take a taxi, ?
He has mentioned it a hundred times, ?
You can't park here, ?
Geoff works mainly with rockets, ?
They kept you late at the Space Centre, ?
You won't tell him, ?
Nobody likes a show-off, ?
Up or down? Choose the right intonation, then say the sentence out loud.Ça monte ou ça descend ? Choisis la bonne intonation, puis dis la phrase à voix haute.
- Geoff, about brain surgery: “Not exactly rocket science, is it?” Falling tone: a comment, not a question. That's the joke!
- At a party, you see a man with a stethoscope. You ask: “You're a doctor, aren't you?” You are not sure. You don't know the answer: it's a real question, so your voice goes up.
- It's raining all day. You say to a friend: “Terrible weather, isn't it?” You are sure, you just want your friend to agree: your voice goes down.
- Lionel: “Parking's an absolute nightmare around here, isn't it?” He has just parked: he knows! It's a comment, so the tone goes down.
- You think the party is on Saturday, but you're not sure. “The party's on Saturday, isn't it?” You need the information: it's a real question, your voice goes up.
- Your friend has eaten all the pizza. You say: “You were hungry, weren't you?” There's no pizza left: you know the answer. Ironic, falling tone.
Your turn: film your own show-off!À toi : filme ton propre frimeur !
Final task (groups of four): act out a new version of the sketch and film it in one shot.
1. Your show-off. Choose a new job for him or her: an airline pilot, a famous footballer, a
YouTuber with ten million followers, a chef with three stars… Find the expression they keep repeating: “It's not
exactly flying a plane, is it?”
2. The guests. Two or three guests tell the show-off about their jobs (or their day, their holidays…). Each time,
the show-off brings the conversation back to him or herself.
3. The punchline. Someone arrives at the end with an even more impressive job, and turns the expression against
the show-off. Find your own punchline!
Use at least four question tags, with the right intonation (↘ ironic or sure, ↗ real question), and
I don't mean to boast, but…
How you will be marked (/20):
| Criteria | Points |
|---|---|
| The scene follows the sketch: a show-off, the guests, a punchline at the very end. | /5 |
| Question tags: correct and with the right intonation (at least four). | /5 |
| Fluency: you play your character without reading, in one shot. | /5 |
| Pronunciation and acting: we understand you, and we laugh! | /5 |
Just for fun, before you start: watch the sketch again with the sound off, and say Lionel's lines yourself.
General comprehension · The details · Watch and complete · Why is it funny? · Question tags · Your turn · The words · Back to Laughing