Oxford English Dictionary:

Bang on (adverb and adjective) - exactly right, extremely appropriate, excellent

Mr Tran Kim Bang, VTTN trainer and
co-ordinator from Thanh Hoa, gives you jokes, poems and riddles from around the VTTN world!

WIN PRIZES!!!

Send in your favourite jokes, riddles and poems. We’ll print the best ones in the next magazine and you’ll win a fantastic VTTN prize!

Write to:
‘Bang On’
English Now
The British Council
40 Cat Linh
Hanoi

Thank you for all your letters after the last issue. We’re only sorry that we can’t print all of your contributions!

Strange Change

Here’s a nice vocabulary riddle from
Dam Ngoc Tu in Nghe An

Black-beard pirates dig up a chest but it is full of lead. Help them change the lead to gold by changing only one letter to make a new word each time.
Answer: 1 Lead
2 ????
3 ????
4 Gold

You Are Forever

by Van Thi Minh Chau, Hue

When I’m a teacher
You’ll give me flowers,
And I know you’ll be happier
When they call me “Teacher”

When I’m a Teacher
The world’ll be wider
But I’ll never be alone
‘Cause you’re always in my heart.

When I’m a Teacher
Your hair’ll be greyer,
Please, don’t ever be sad, Teacher!
‘Cause you, Teachers are forever.

Two from Mr Pham Dinh Tuong, Quang Ngai

Riddle Me This!
Why are different trees like different dogs?

Joke
A father shows concern
for his sons study.

Father: “Lien, how are
your marks?”
Lien: “They are under
water dad.”

What does Lien mean by “under water?”
They are below C level

Life?!?!
By Chau Thi Kim Loan in Can Tho

When I get bad marks
I’m sad.
When he gets bad marks
He laughs.
When I get good marks
I laugh.
When he gets good marks
He laughs, too.
When I’m sad he laughs.
When I laugh he laughs, too.
He laughs, I am sad.
And I’m sad, he laughs.
He says life is a dream.
I say life is a play.
He says life is short.
I say life is long.
Dream, play, short, long.
Life is what?
He laughs and laughs and laughs.
I laugh and cry and cry and laugh.
Is he right or wrong?
Am I right or wrong?
Nobody says who’s right? Who’s wrong?
Perhaps both of us are right?
Or both of us are wrong?
Right, wrong, wrong, right.
Cry, laugh, laugh, cry.
And life is always life.
Like the sea, the sun, the earth.
Never say bye bye.
When I say Yes
He says No.
When I say No
He says Yes
Yes, No, No, Yes
Life is Yes or No?
Nobody knows.
Is life zero (0)?
Yes or No?
Nobody knows.
And life is always life.
Never die.
Never say bye bye!!!

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