Exploring Comedy and Humour: A Fun Discussion Task
Delve into the realms of comedy and humour with engaging conversation questions covering favorite shows, comedians, personal experiences, universal elements of humour, different types of comedy, and the influence of stand-up comedy and movies on culture. Reflect on various aspects of funny scenarios, wordplay, slapstick humour, dark comedy, and practical jokes, culminating in a discussion about laughter, cultural perceptions of funny, and the role of parody.
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COMEDY AND HUMOUR DISCUSSION TASKS
CONVERSATION QUESTIONS What is your favourite comedy show? Why is it funny? Who is your favourite comedian? Why is he/she amusing? Do others think of you as being funny ? Would you regard being described as funny as a compliment or an insult? Can you tell about a time when you made people laugh? Do you always get (understand) the jokes you hear? Do you understand jokes from other countries or jokes told in English? What kind of comedy do you like? Can you tell about a time when you laughed at yourself? What elements of humour do you think are universal? Is humour always at someone's expense? How do you feel about puns and jokes made with words? "Slapstick" is very obvious humour which involves people falling over or being hit with objects. What is your opinion of this type of humour? Have you ever watched a silent movie which included someone like Charlie Chaplin? What did you think of the humour? Do you still remember comedians from your youth? Do you still find them funny or has your sense of humour changed? In what way do you think it has changed?
CONVERSATION QUESTIONS Who is the funniest person you know? What makes them funny? Do you laugh when other people make mistakes or have accidents? Is it funny when someone falls over? When is it okay to laugh at another person, and when is it wrong? Laughter is the best medicine. What do you think about this idea? Is stand-up comedy popular in your culture? Who is your favourite stand-up comedian? Is being funny a natural ability or can a person learn to be funny? How could a person become funnier? What is your favourite comedy movie? Can you recall a funny scene from the film? Who is the funniest actor or actress in the world? Would you see a movie just because that person is in it? Do you follow any comic strips or humorous comic books? Explain what they are about and why you like them. Do you enjoy dark humour? Why do you think people sometimes want to joke about topics like death? Do you do silly things to amuse your friends? Give an example. Have you played a practical joke on another person? What did you do? Does parody have a place in your culture? Who or what is usually the target of parody? How do you react if someone tells a bad joke? Do you laugh to be polite?
Complete the statements with one of the words given and discuss to what extent you agree or disagree. Complete the statements with one of the words given and discuss to what extent you agree or disagree. angle / crack / impersonate / line / offend / punchline / risqu / stand angle / crack / impersonate / line / offend / punchline / risqu / stand- -up / up / I really enjoy listening to comedians ______________ famous people. Comedy shouldn t cross the _______________ to the point where jokes become offensive. I love to _________________ jokes when I am with friends. In order to make people laugh, comedy has to be a little ________________. Contemporary humourists should have the right to _______________ their audience. I try to tell jokes, but whenever I get to the _____________, I usually mess it up! ________________ comedy is more enjoyable to watch than TV sitcoms. The best kind of comedy can make you think about something from a different _________________.
BAD JOKES FEATURING PUNS n. pun - a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings Explain the double meaning of a key word/phrase in the jokes below. I was arrested at the airport. Just because I was greeting my cousin Jack! All that I said was "Hi Jack", but very loud. Teacher: Rumiko, be careful, your purse is open. Someone might take your money! Rumiko: Oh, no. I left it open so I can get more money. Teacher: How can you get more money? Rumiko: The weather report said we would have some change in our weather! I hear this new cemetery is very popular. People are just dying to get in. A: Did you hear about the guy with the corduroy pillow? B: No, I didn't. A: Really? It made headlines! Sleeping comes so naturally to me, I could do it with my eyes closed. I wondered why the tennis ball was getting bigger, then it hit me.
BAD JOKES FEATURING PUNS Explain the double meaning of a key word (homonym/homophone) in the jokes below. Teacher: Tell me something that conducts electricity. Student: Why, er Teacher: Yes, wire! Now name a unit of electrical power. Student: A what? Teacher: Yes, a watt! Very good. A: My grandfather lived to be 90 years old and he never used glasses. B: Well, lots of people prefer to drink out of a bottle, I guess. You know someone actually went to the trouble of complimenting me on my driving today. They left a note on the windscreen which said Parking fine , so that was nice. I m on a seafood diet. Every time I see food, I eat it! The only way Lee Harvey Oswald could have shot John F. Kennedy from the sixth floor of the School Book Depository on November 22, 1963 was if some pigeons grabbed onto him and flew him over the motorcade Surely someone would have seen that. You know, there was rumours of anti Castro pigeons seen drinking in bars Someone overhead them saying: coup, coup, coup. Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon? I heard the food was good but it had no atmosphere.
Attempt to form example statements featuring the idioms covered, appropriately illustrating their meanings.
