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Floorspace
Floorspace By Dan Reinhold Odd how frightening the unknown can be. The other day, I encountered something so rare and unusual, it was like a dream. The last unexplored and little understood frontier. Floorspace. With two boys in the house,...
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5 Reasons Why You Should Quit Your Day Job
Most of us would stop working if we could. We constantly dream about it, but that's about as far as we get-dreaming. Working a 9-5 just seems inevitable. I, Timothy Ward, however am a master at defying the inevitable. I stare 'The Inevitable' in the...
Hollywood Humor: Cary Grant's Muffins
In 1853 in Saratoga Springs, New York, American Indian Chef George Crum was preparing his specialty French fried potatoes in the upscale resort he was working at, when he received word that one of the patrons complained they were cut too thick. An...
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YOUR HAIKU ERROR MESSAGES FOR THE DAY
PUBLISHING GUIDELINES. This article may be used in print or electronic publications. Publishers are requested to email the author (quippingqueen@yahoo.com) with a copy of the article reprinted in their publication, or a link back to the author's...
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Learning To Be Funny
For some people, being funny can be a bit of a challenge. As a matter of fact, I used to be one of them. When I would try to tell a joke that wasn't made up by someone else, people would look at me with an expression that said, "Would you like... a straight jacket!?!"
Most humor contains an element of surprise. One way to create this is putting things together that don't go together. This could be as simple as something like: "I wanted to go girl hunting tonight, but I ran out of ammo." Words that can have more than one meaning are especially helpful for making or writing jokes.
Some words are inherently funny. Using words like booger, fart, and poop can make people laugh even when you aren't trying to make a joke. If you put them together in ways they shouldn't be. Imagine a comic book superhero called the Amazing Farting Booger.
Most jokes also contain a part that is believable. A comic book superhero is believable. A farting booger isn't. Another example of jokes having a portion that is believable:
“The other day my brother was playing with his dog, Duke, when he decided to relieve himself on the floor. I suppose that could be understandable. It's been years since my brother was potty trained.”
Humor often requires a buildup of tension. The story behind the punch line of a joke is as important as
the punch line itself. I'm sure you've probably noticed how many jokes use 3 of something. (“Three construction workers were....” or “A horse, a fish, and a monkey...”) Using threes when making jokes is a great way of building the appropriate amount of tension. Twos don't seem to build enough tension, and fours don't seem to build enough.
While being funny can be a bit of a challenge, it is something that can be learned. If it doesn't come naturally, it could take some effort, and a lot of practice. Learning to be funny might be hard work for some of us, but what could be more fun than working hard at being funny?
Visit my website: ButchCrassidy's Jokes or signup for the ButchCrassidyJokes.com email newsletter by sending a blank email to newsletter-subscribe@butchcrassidyjokes.com
About the Author
Copyright 2005 Bryan Brewster
This article can be reprinted on websites and in ezines as long as a link to the website butchcrassidyjokes.com and the ButchCrassidyJokes.com email newsletter subscription address newsletter-subscribe@butchcrassidyjokes.com is included at the end. To contact the author, send an email to webmaster@butchcrassidyjokes.com
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