Sentence #44 - REVEALED
How did you do?
I’ve got the memory of an elephant. I remember one time I went to the zoo and saw an elephant.
These are the things that might have tripped you up:
Grammar - the use of I’ve got instead of I have to talk about possession. Depending on whether you learned British (I’ve got) or American (I have) English, this might be new for you.
The reductions + connections in of an elephant, which sounds like uven-nelefant
The reduction…or maybe even the dropped I in I went. To be honest, I listened to this a dozen times, and I still can’t decide if I hear it or not.
The reduced form of and and the connections in an elephant in and saw an elephant, which sounds like an saw anelefant
The rate of speech, which definitely makes it hard to catch everything
Why this is (supposed to be) funny:
This pun relies on the fact that the first sentence: I’ve got the memory of an elephant sets the expectation that he’s going to tell you about what a great memory he has.
In English, to have the memory of an elephant means that you remember things very well and in detail, and you remember them for a long time.
But he breaks this expectation with the second sentence when he talks about seeing an elephant at the zoo, a one-time memory of an elephant.
This breaking of the expectation is what makes the joke funny.
What do you think? Was it a funny joke?
Does having the memory of an elephant mean having a good memory in your language? If not, what expression do you use for someone who has a good memory?