| Humor and Learning | | | | of the dog that has a fur coat and pants. |
| Humor is important in learning a language. Not only | | | | OK, the dog has a fur coat but it doesn't have fur |
| does it enable the student to learn new vocabulary in | | | | trousers. In this case "pants" o the way dogs breathe |
| context but it also is a motivating force. When a | | | | rapidly and noisily. |
| student understands a joke she begins to feel like she | | | | Those were puns. Now for a few jokes. |
| is in the world of the new language. Puns are | | | | Jokes |
| especially valuable because they stress meaning. We'll | | | | Three Police Jokes |
| give a few jokes and puns as examples and hoope | | | | First Joke: |
| that they will move other teachers to use this powerful | | | | A police officer stops a woman for speeding and asks |
| resource. | | | | her very nicely if he could see her license. |
| Puns | | | | She replies in a huff, "I wish you guys would get your |
| Laughing? Well, maybe not. Puns usually make people | | | | act together. Just yesterday you take away my |
| groan. They say that for a pun to be good, it has to be | | | | license and then today you expect me to show it to |
| really bad. As a matter of fact, they are called | | | | you!" |
| "groaners". A pun is a little word game, playing with | | | | Vocabulary and Expresssions: |
| language. Most puns use a word that has two | | | | "in a huff": annoyed |
| meanings, or use two words that sound almost the | | | | "get your act together": get organized |
| same. | | | | Second Joke: While driving along the back roads of a |
| Here are some puns. Use your knowledge of English, | | | | small town, two truckers came to an overpass with a |
| and your dictionary if necessary, to explain the pun. | | | | sign that read CLEARANCE 11'3". |
| Example: Why is an empty purse always the same? | | | | They got out and measured their rig, which was 12'4". |
| Because there is never any change in it. In this pun, the | | | | "What do you think?" one asked the other. |
| word "change" has two meanings: 1. coins and small | | | | The driver looked around carefully, then shifted into |
| bills, 2. alteration. | | | | first. "Not a cop in sight. Let's take a chance!" |
| 1. Do you know why it's easy for a hunter to find a | | | | Vocabulary and Expresssions: |
| leopard? Because a leopard is always spotted. | | | | "overpass": viaduct |
| "to spot", verb: to see, to identify. "spotted", adjective: | | | | "rig": here truck. Any specialized tool or mechanical |
| with spots. | | | | arrangement. |
| 2. When gambling became legal in the city, everyone | | | | "clearance": room to pass, or "clear". "Clearance" is the |
| agreed that the city was now a bettor place. | | | | noun of the verb "to clear" which means (among other |
| What we hear could be either of two words that | | | | meanings) de: "go through without touching" |
| sound the same: "better", adjective, "an improvement", | | | | 11' 3" is the abbreviation of 11 feet 3 inches; |
| therefore "an improved place". "bettor", noun, "gambler", | | | | 12' 4" is the abbreviation of 12 feet 4 inches. |
| "someone who bets", therefore entonces "a place for | | | | Third Joke: |
| gamblers". | | | | Recently, a distraught wife went to the local police |
| 3. The principal called the young cross-eyed teacher | | | | station, along with her next-door neighbor, to report |
| into his office. "I'm sorry to say, Ms. Jones, we're going | | | | that her husband was missing. The policeman asked |
| to have to let you go." "But why, sir? I thought I was | | | | for a description of the missing man. |
| doing a good job." "It's simple," said the principal, "you | | | | The wife said, "He is 35 years old, 6 foot 2, has dark |
| can't control your pupils.". | | | | eyes, dark wavy hair, an athletic build, weighs 185 |
| Of course, the word "pupil" could refer to a student or | | | | pounds, is soft-spoken, and is good to the children." |
| to the middle of the iris of the eye.. | | | | The next-door neighbor protested, "Your husband is 54 |
| 4. My friend Sam had decided his kitchen needed | | | | years old, 5 foot 6, chubby, weighs 275 pounds, is bald, |
| painting, and instead of hiring a professional, he decided | | | | has a big mouth, and is mean to your children." |
| to do it himself. In the afternoon, I went over to his | | | | The wife replied, "Yes, but who wants HIM back?" |
| house to see if he needed some help. When I arrived, I | | | | Vocabulary and Expresssions: |
| found Sam working hard painting the kitchen walls. But | | | | Hubby: popularform of "husband", spousedistraught: |
| instead of wearing old clothes, he was wearing a | | | | stressed, very worried.chubby: slightly fatmean: In this |
| leather jacket and a ski parka. I asked him why he | | | | context, strict, severe, even a little cruelbald: no |
| was dressed that way on such a hot day. He brought | | | | hairnext-door neighbor: the person who lives in the |
| me the paint bucket and told me to read the | | | | house to one side of yours |
| instructions. I did. It said, "For best results, put on two | | | | 6 foot 4: six feet and 4 inches |
| coats." | | | | How to keep on Learning by Laughing? |
| The pun is the word "coat" either another layer or paint | | | | You can enter "esl puns" or "esl joke" in Google to find |
| or an article of clothing. | | | | many sites that share our belief that puns and jokes |
| 5. The previous pun about the extra "coat" reminds me | | | | are good ways to help learners of English. |