Example of Spoof Funny Story with Generic Structure – What Time is It?

This is a very funny story as an example of spoof text. The story is completed with generic structure to learn how its plot is arranged. Spoof text is funny, isn’t it? A funny story can be a spoof or not. Reading a spoof text can be very interesting as it has an unpredictable plot of the story.

There will be a tricky “arrangement”. As we build understanding of the plot to certain condition, a spoof text will be ended with a special contradictory ending. Bellow is another example of spoof text.
What Time is It? Example of Spoof Text

Watch to ask the time – spoof story with generic structure

A tramp lie down and sleep in the park. He had been sleeping for about 5 minutes when a couple walked by. The man stopped, woke the tramp up , and asked him, “Excuse me.
Do you know what the time is?” The tramp replied, “I’m sorry – I don’t have a watch, so I don’t know the time.”
The man apologized for waking the tramp and the couple walked away.

The tramp lay down again, and after a few minutes went back to sleep. Just then, a woman, who was out walking her dog, shook the tramp’s shoulder until he woke up again. The woman said, “I’m sorry to trouble you, but I’m afraid I’ve lost my watch – do you happen to know the time?” The tramp was a little annoyed at being woken up again, but he politely told the woman that he didn’t have a watch and didn’t know the time.

After the woman had gone, the tramp had an idea. He opened the bag that contained all his possessions and got out a pen, a piece of paper and some string. On the paper, he wrote down, ‘I do not have a watch. I do not know the time’.
He then hung the paper round his neck and eventually dropped off again.

After about 15 minutes, a policeman who was walking through the park noticed the tramp asleep on the bench, and the sign around his neck. He woke the tramp up and said, “I read your sign. I thought you’d like to know that it’s 2:30 p.m.”
This example of spoof text is taken from kinglishschool.com

Generic Structure of Spoof Text

Have you noticed and guessed why that story can be labelled as spoof text. To answer this question, we need to go through the structure of the story. Here is what we get:

1. Orientation: Basic information of the text about participants
A tramp lie down and sleep in the park.
2. Series of events: Some happenings which exist in the story. They are determine the story plot.
The man stopped, woke the tramp up

Just then, a woman, who was out walking her dog, shook the tramp’s shoulder until he woke up again.

he wrote down, ‘I do not have a watch. I do not know the time’.
3. Twist: What happens in the story in the end.
Police’s statement “I read your sign. I thought you’d like to know that it’s 2:30 p.m.”
Well, that is spoof text sample. The story is funny and entertaining. Reading such English story give two benefits. First is we are entertained with the story and feel happy. Second, Increasing English skill is unrealized but added. Happy learning English Online

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