What is a JOKE - Do you have a sense of humour? - Learn English with Mr Duncan

There is nothing I enjoy more than having a good laugh.

If I find something funny, then it is hard for me to hide my amusement.

Something funny amuses me.

The funny thing is amusing.

They say that laughter is the best medicine when you are feeling sad.

And this might very well be true.

However, saying something you find funny can sometimes get you into trouble.

Sometimes making a joke about something can get you into hot water.

There are many words relating to jokes and humour, such as comedy, which defines anything done for the amusement of others.

A comedy act will perform something funny.

Then there is ‘clowning’ or ‘clowning around’, which describes the act of not being serious.

You are playing for laughs.

You are clowning around. A carnival performer who acts in a ludicrous way for the amusement of an audience is a clown.

We might describe a person who always acts the fool and never takes anything seriously as a clown.

“He always disrupts my lessons by acting the clown in class.”

“We wasted the whole day clowning around with party balloons.”

Another word relating to humour is comedian, which is a person who tells amusing stories and jokes for a living.

Then there is a comedienne which is the term used to describe a female comedian.

Although these days the word comedian is often used for both male and female comedy performers.

To to say something that is meant to be funny is a joke.

A joke is a story with a humorous ending.

The funny part of a joke is called the punchline or tagline.

It is the climax of a joke or story.

Another word that can be used to mean joke is gag.

You tell a gag, you stand up and tell gags.

A person who stands on a stage to tell jokes is called a stand-up comedian.

They perform stand-up comedy.

Their act is called a routine, which is a carefully rehearsed comedy performance.

“I saw one of the funniest comedy routines ever last night.”

“I'm off to the comedy club tonight to see some new routines.”

If a group of people are performing a short, funny play with a humorous story, then this is called a sketch.

If someone is making a joke about a famous person or a well-known organization such as the government, then this is called satire...

lampooning, spoofing or sending up.

A well known celebrity or political figure might be on the receiving end of a satirical sketch.

The comedy performers are poking fun at the well known person.

To perform a humorous version of something can be described as a spoof.

An actor might mimic the characteristics of a famous politician or world leader,

so as to highlight their flawed personality or their hypocrisy.

Then there is ‘tongue in cheek humour’, which makes fun of something in an ironic or insincere way.

The thing being watched seems to have a serious tone, but it is not to be taken seriously.

It is all done ‘tongue in cheek’.

It would be fair to say that a joke which is funny to one person, might not be funny to another.

A particular joke might even be considered by some to be offensive.

Humorous TV shows and movies from the past are often seen as offensive,

and will be heavily censored before being shown or simply erased from existence altogether.

Each one of us has a slightly different feeling when we hear the same joke being performed.

It all depends on what is being said and who is saying it.

“I can't believe that you find Ricky Gervais so funny.”

“He is so rude.”

“I don't understand why you dislike Ricky Gervais so much.”

“He is hilarious.”

This is what we call our ‘sense of humour’.

Some people will laugh at anything while others will hardly ever laugh at all.

It is yet another fascinating piece of the human emotion puzzle that makes us all the individuals we are.

Do you have a good sense of humour?

What makes you laugh? Do you know any good jokes?