{"id":2765,"date":"2022-03-16T22:56:02","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T22:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=2765"},"modified":"2022-03-16T22:56:02","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T22:56:02","slug":"how-to-write-jokes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/how-to-write-jokes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write Jokes (9 Common Joke Styles)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Writing funny jokes is not as easy as it sounds, but with enough practice, anyone can learn to get better at it. We come armed with tips and step-by-step guides. They don't guarantee that you'll own the room, but they'll give you a head start.<\/p>\n<h2>What Makes A Joke Funny?<\/h2>\n<p>Humor doesn\u2019t just make people laugh \u2014 it\u2019s also scientifically proven to be good for mental and physical health. Everyone has a sense of humor, but we don\u2019t all laugh at the same things. Some things are almost universally funny, though, and key elements of funny jokes include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jokes about higher math can be funny, for instance, but only among mathematicians. To make a general audience laugh, your jokes have to be relatable.<\/li>\n<li>When you make a funny joke, you don't describe the entire setting, forcing the audience to rely on assumptions \u2014 which you can later shoot down, creating an element of surprise.<\/li>\n<li>Funny jokes are fresh and surprising. If your audience can spot it from a mile away, the punchline becomes meaningless.<\/li>\n<li>A feeling of superiority. Many jokes are ultimately made at someone's expense. They\u2019ll make the audience grateful that the scenario you\u2019re laying out didn\u2019t happen to them.<\/li>\n<li>Many funny jokes touch on subjects we think about, but don't usually dare to say out loud. When a comedian talks about a taboo subject, part of the fun factor lies in the fact that they actually had the courage to say something people wouldn't normally say.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The Joke Structure<\/h3>\n<p>Jokes can be long-form, with a lot of detail, or short-form. Either can be effective \u2014 as long as the joke contains the right elements and structure. As you attempt to write a joke, it's more important to consider whether it's funny than to focus on the anatomy of the joke, but even so, your joke should contain the elements that set it up for success.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A joke's <strong>setup<\/strong> lays the groundwork. You're describing the who, what, where, and how of the setting, or at least implying these elements. As you do this, the audience will develop certain expectations.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>punchline<\/strong> essentially blows those expectations to smithereens, as you waltz in with a completely unexpected conclusion. That's what makes the joke funny.<\/li>\n<li>If you're telling a long-form joke, which is more like a story, you'll add plenty of other elements that help your audience immerse themselves in the setting. There might be more characters, an entire plot, conflict between players, and even descriptive details that lull the audience into a false sense of security, or set them up to laugh even more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Plenty of people talk about effective joke writing formulas, and they'll involve at least the first two elements. Experienced comedians will, on the other hand, warn you against analyzing the structure of a joke too closely. Get writing, keeping in mind that the best jokes are relatable but also surprising, and test your material out on some close friends. If most people laugh, you know you have a winning formula.<\/p>\n<h2>9 Common Joke Styles<\/h2>\n<p>The most common joke styles remain popular because they work \u2014 they make people laugh. Not all funny jokes fall into common joke styles, but the vast majority do. Let's take a look at the most common joke styles, and what makes them so funny.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Observational Jokes<\/h3>\n<p>These jokes take situations almost everyone is deeply familiar with (and often, rather bored by) and analyze them in a humorous way. Observational jokes often start with \"Have you ever noticed that...\", but they can begin in any way. Everyday topics that could be the subject of observational jokes include drive-thru restaurants, neighbors walking their dogs, or browsing through social media.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Anecdotes<\/h3>\n<p>Anecdotal jokes are drawn from the comedian's own life experience, and typically start by laying the groundwork with a familiar scene. They then add elements of surprise. Maybe your son was recently forced to draw you a nice picture for Father's Day. As all the other kids presented drawings of fathers and children doing cool things like playing football or fishing together, you open the envelope to discover that your son depicted you as the devil. Isn't parenting a heartwarming experience?<\/p>\n<h3>3. Misplaced Sincerity Jokes<\/h3>\n<p>In misplaced sincerity jokes, the comedian \"fails to understand\" something that most people would get, including the audience. \"My friend said he quit smoking cold turkey,\" for instance. \"What do you smoke now? Ham?\", the comedian wonders.<\/p>\n<h3>4. One-Liners<\/h3>\n<p>These are the shortest of jokes \u2014 you pack your setup and your punchline into one sentence.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Puns<\/h3>\n<p>Puns play on the similarities between words with radically different meanings. \"Two guys walked into a bar\", a familiar joke starter, becomes punny when it's visually illustrated \u2014 two guys bang their head and fall down as they literally walk into an iron bar.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Irony<\/h3>\n<p>Ironic jokes play with contradictions. \"Who said that horoscopes aren't real? My zodiac sign is Cancer. Guess what I got diagnosed with?\"<\/p>\n<h3>7. Broken Assumption Jokes<\/h3>\n<p>Many good jokes have an element of broken assumptions, but these rely on them entirely. \"Ma, you wouldn't get mad at me for something I haven't done, right?\" Right, son. \"Great. I didn't do the dishes.\"<\/p>\n<h3>8. Deadpan Jokes<\/h3>\n<p>The delivery is flat and serious in this type of joke, creating the illusion that the comedian doesn't understand why it's funny.<\/p>\n<h3>9. Self-Deprecating Jokes<\/h3>\n<p>These are made at your own expense.<\/p>\n<h2>How To Write Good Jokes<\/h2>\n<p>Nobody \u2014 not even professional comedians \u2014 gets it right all the time. With time and practice, however, everyone can get better at writing good jokes. This step-by-step guide will make it slightly easier:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Choose a funny topic \u2014 popular ones include family, relationships, work, chores, and other everyday subjects that everyone can relate to.<\/li>\n<li>Put some feeling into it, and add elements of randomness to create a believable setting.<\/li>\n<li>Structure your jokes so that there's a clear setup and punchline.<\/li>\n<li>Decide on the pacing for your joke. Some are short and sharp, while others take the scenic route. How long can you hold your audience's attention? Your pacing depends on this.<\/li>\n<li>You now have a finished joke. Test it out on small groups of people. If nobody laughs, you can conclude it's just not funny. If you get a few chuckles, your joke can work but needs to be revised.<\/li>\n<li>Ask for feedback if you can. This will allow you to gain insights into changes you need to make to render the joke funny.<\/li>\n<li>Work on revising the joke, and test it out again.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Examples of Good One-Liners<\/h2>\n<p>One-liners can light your audience up in the blink of an eye and are some of the most powerful jokes. These examples can inspire you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nothing's moving. Why do they call it \"rush hour\"?<\/li>\n<li>Switzerland is wonderful, and the flag is a big plus, too.<\/li>\n<li>My cat vomited all over my laptop. It was a real cat-astrophe.<\/li>\n<li>I'm seeing my dentist at tooth-hurty (2.30).<\/li>\n<li>What did the meteor say to the moon? Thanks for inviting me to your party; I had a real blast.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How Do Comedians Write Jokes?<\/h2>\n<p>Comedians don't just have to write funny jokes \u2014 they also have to be charismatic in delivering them. Each comedian has their own unique creative process, but they do share some commonalities.<\/p>\n<p>Tim Vine has, for instance, revealed that he often starts with the punchline and then decides on a setup that would make the joke funny. Demetri Martin has a more methodical process, in which he analyzes the joke's structure and removes any excess wordage. Jerry Seinfeld's delivery heavily focuses on the rhythmical structure, and so taking the length and rhythm of the syllables into account plays an important role in his creative process.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of your approach, you will always want to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be inspired by funny situations you encounter in your life.<\/li>\n<li>Write down funny ideas as soon as you have them.<\/li>\n<li>Perfect the joke until you think it's ready for an audience, by analyzing whether all the right elements are present.<\/li>\n<li>Test your joke on small groups of people, and work on making your delivery, as well as the joke itself, funny.<\/li>\n<li>Tweaking your joke further to make sure it hits hard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>How do you write short jokes?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You'll use the same steps \u2014 choosing your topic, brainstorming, testing your jokes, and revising them. The catch? There's no padding. If you are having trouble coming up with short jokes, try to write any joke first, without worrying about the length. Then, simply get rid of any unnecessary details. Short jokes are usually only about a sentence or two long.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you write jokes in a script?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Scripting a joke just gives you more time to think over it and revise it. Remember to practice the delivery as well as the content of the joke.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you write jokes for a roast?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Roasts essentially insult people. However, that's not all there is to a roast \u2014 roasts should be funny, including to the people you're roasting. Try to think of all the weird things the person you are trying to roast does \u2014 like picking their nose constantly or always sitting with their legs crossed. Include these elements in your roast. You could also think of that one incredibly embarrassing thing that they did ages ago and bring it up. A great way to roast anyone is by starting off with something nice about them, then adding an embarrassing memory or weird habit. You could also use classic roast formulas like \"yo mamma\" jokes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you write jokes for a sitcom?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Writing jokes for a sitcom can be extremely intimidating. The best way to get better is to keep practicing and not to spend time ruminating about the jokes you wrote that fell flat. All the famous comedians were once small too. They practiced on small audiences and kept the funny jokes while scrapping the ones no one laughed at. Testing your jokes on other people is a great way to get better.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How can you write funny jokes without being mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can roast your friends by being truthful and mildly insulting without hitting at the core of their identity. Does your friend always stomp while they're walking? Go ahead and joke about elephants or mention how you always know when they're going to show up at your party because you can hear them from a mile away. Don't joke about things you know they're sensitive about, like their inability to find a job or the death of their grandmother, and you're good to go.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Writing funny jokes is not as easy as it sounds, but with enough practice, anyone can learn to get better at it. We come armed with tips and step-by-step guides. They don't guarantee that you'll own the room, but they'll give you a head start. What Makes A Joke Funny? Humor doesn\u2019t just make people [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2765"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2765"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2776,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2765\/revisions\/2776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}