September 11, 2007

Murphy's Laws

If anything can go wrong, it will. And if there is a possibility of many things going wrong, the one that will go wrong is the one that will cause the most damage. Thoughts like these have made American engineer Capt. Edward A. Murphy and his Murphy's Laws famous worldwide. What makes these laws so interesting is that they really seem to work every time! Here are some more examples. Do you know any others? Write them in the comments area - it's easy! For example: If you are in a hurry, the other line will always move faster!

- If it works in theory, it won't work in practice. If it works in practice it won't work in theory.
- If a circuit requires n components, you will find only n - 1 components in stock.
- If the course you want to do has room for "n" students, you will be the "n+1" to apply.
- If you drop a tool or small part while working on a car, it will roll to the exact center underneath the vehicle.
- If you throw anything away, you will need it the next day.

Would you like more practise with "if" sentences? You can find explanations about conditional sentences here. There's also a matching activity, a quiz and two gap-fill activities, with one or two gaps.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hahaha, that was funny! I have one: if you cut the string or rope in the right size, it will be too small!
Bernardo

Anonymous said...

If you wash your car, it will rain!
I loved this blog! I am a teacher at cultura Uberlandia, Brazil and last semester i taught Pre inter 2 and we had lots of fun with Murphy's Law. the blog looks really cool and I loved your postings!
Best wishes,
Danubia Bull

Mônica said...

Danubia, this law is sooooo true! :-) Thanks for your comments!
A warm hug from BH.
Mônica

Anonymous said...

This happened to me today: the phone will inevitably stop ringing when you run to answer it!
João Paulo, RS

Susana Canelo said...

If your toast covered with marmalade falls down, it will be upside down.

Susana from Del Valle in Argentina.
What a funny idea!!!

Mônica said...

LOL João Paulo! And, of course, the phone will always start ringing if you decide to take a shower. The more important the call, the more likely it is to happen!!! :-)
Mônica, in Belo Horizonte

Anonymous said...

If your run to take the bus, you'll miss it.

Life has taught me never to run after buses!

Mônica said...

And if you arrive early at the bus stop, the bus will be late. And don't try to get a taxi: if you do, the bus will come! :-)

Daniela said...

If you take your umbrella with you when you go out, it will not rain. You can do it for weeks in a row... However, on that one occasion when you forget to take your umbrella, it will rain and you will get wet to the bones.
Daniela from Sibiu, Romania, Europe.

Mônica said...

Hahaha, Daniela, that ALWAYS happens to me! The only difference is that I usually remember to take the umbrella, but I leave it in my car. And if it starts raining, my car will always be miles away! :-)