5 minutes closer with SPOOF

What is Spoof?• Definition and Social Function of Spoof

Spoof is a text which tells factual story, happened in the past time with unpredictable and funny ending. Its social function is to entertain and share the story.

Mentioned in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary Online,

• First, as a noun, the meaning is, "a funny and silly piece of writing, music, theater, etc.. That copies the style of an original work".

• Being second, spoof as a verb, meaning, "to try to make someone believe in something is not true, as a joke." Spoof of the second meaning above, it can be concluded that the definition of spoof text is a text that contains humor though most of the text has been modified from the original.

Language Characteristic

There are several linguistic characteristics that can distinguish Spoof Text with English Text types (Types of Text) the other, there are :• Using the Past Tense; was, were, did, etc.• Using action verbs (action verb), did, went, walked, etc.• Using adverb of time and place adverbs.• Told chronologically.

How is the structure?

Generic Structure (general arrangement) in a spoof text are :• Orientation, provides an introduction to the characters,

setting, settings etc..• Events, provides even or events• Twist, ending the story (the ending is considered funny,

sometimes unexpected)

• A description of the orientation and the event is oftenly discussed, especially on the subject narrative text and recount text. In any spoof text, orientation and the event was not much different from the one in the narrative and recount.

• Looking for a twist, for those not used to writing a humorous story may be very difficult to understand the twist was hard enough, let alone making up their own ...

• Yes, to understand the twist, we need a sense of humor until we are able to digest what's behind the humor contained in this twist. Because usually very difficult to predict, "what's the punch line?"

The examples please…• Last week I went to the theatre. I had a very good seat. The play was very

interesting. I did not enjoy it. A young man and a young woman were sitting behind me. They were talking very loudly. I got very angry. I could not hear the actors. I turned around. I looked at the man and the young woman angrily. They did not pay any attention. In the end, I could not bear it. I turned around again. “I could not hear a word” I said angrily. “It’s none of your business” the young man said rudely. “This is a private conversation” (From: English New Concept)

• Generic Structure AnalysisOrientation: introducing a writes as point of view “I” which is in a theatre last weekEvent 1: the other theatregoers, young man and young woman, were talking noisily.Event 2: the writer used physical language by turning around to the young man and young woman talk to not to make noisy.Event 3: the write used verbal language by saying “I could not hear a word”.Twister: the young man misunderstood the writer’s word and said; “It’s none of your business. It’s a private conversation”.

• taken from: understandingtext.blogspot.com

Once a man was walking in a park when he across a penguin. He took it to a policeman and said; "What should I do?" The policeman replied; "Take it to the zoo!".

The next day, the policeman saw the man in the same park. The man was still carrying the penguin. The policeman was rather surprised and walked up to the man and asked; "Why are you still carrying the penguin? Didn't you take it to the zoo?" The man replied; "I certainly did. And it was a great idea because the penguin really enjoyed it. So, today I am taking it to the movie".

Analyzing the TextGeneric Structure AnalysisOrientation;introducing participants: "He" and Penguin. They were in the parkEvent1; The man tended to take the penguin to the parkEvent; The following day, the man were still carrying the penguinTwist; Even, finally the man would take the penguin to the movies

Language Feature AnalysisFocusing on certain certain participants; He, penguin, policemanUsing action verb; carry, walk upUsing adverb of time and place; once, in the parkTold in chronological order; chronological order by days, the next day

Lets try..Joe's Mother got angry because her son got a low mark on English test.

"Why did you get such a low mark on that test?" Asked mother angrily. Asked by his angry mother, Joe just kept silent and went out.

A few moment, Joe came back home and met his mother again. His mother asked the same question.

Joe answered steadily, "Because of absence."

"You mean you were absent on the day of the test?" Mother wondered.

Joe replied, "No, but the kid who sits next to me was."

Jacky Wong got married with Lia Wong. Both of them had a white skin and straight hair. They are really a well-matched couple.

One year later, Wong family got a new baby. A nurse brought them a son with curly hair and a black skin.

The nurse congratulated and said, "What name will you give to this son?"

With a confused face, Jacky Wong grumbled, "Sam Ting Wong!"

Soon after he left college, Dave found one of his uncles who was very rich and had no children of his own died and left him a lot of money, so he decided to set up his own real estate agency.

Dave found a nice office. He bought some new furniture and moved in. he had only been there for e few hours when he heard someone coming toward the door of his office. “It must be my first customer” Dave thought.

He quickly picked up the telephone and pretended to be very busy answering an important call from someone in New York who wanted to buy a big and expensive house in the country.

The man knocked at the door while this was going on. He came in and waited politely for Dave to finish his conversation on the phone.

Then the man said to Dave; “I am from the telephone company and I was sent here to connect your telephone”

Questions, critics or advices? Yes, please….

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