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Article #7: Learn English Laughing

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






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