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