Remember: Every Little Word Helps

Once a man, let us call him Smirnov, came to a small English town. Smirnov knew English a little, and though he did not know many English words, people always understood him.

One day Smirnov was walking along the street when he saw a restaurant. He looked at his watch and thought, “It is time to have lunch. I think I shall go in and have a cup of tea and some eggs.”

He went into the restaurant and sat down at a table near a window. When the waiter came up to him, Smirnov suddenly remembered that he did not know the English for eggs. He looked round the room and through the window he saw a rooster.

“What do you call this bird in English?” he asked the waiter.

“A rooster, sir,” answered the waiter.

“And what do you call a rooster’s wife?”

“A hen, sir.”

“And what do you call a hen’s children?”

“Chickens, sir.”

“And what do you call chickens before they are born?”

“Eggs, sir.”

“Very well. Now bring me three eggs and a cup of tea, please.”