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\nHow to Write Funnier Jokes<\/h2>\n
In this joke writing article,<\/span> How to Write Funnier Jokes: Tip 6 – To Pun or Not to Pun, <\/span><\/i>I\u2019ll compare several different approaches to using puns, play-on-words, double entendres, ambiguous words or phrases, and double meaning words in stand-up comedy jokes.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Comedians are striving to get the biggest laughs from jokes and routines, so here are a few joke writing tips to help maximize the stand-up comedy audiences\u2019 laughter.<\/p>\n
Previously in this series of joke writing articles, you learned How to Write Funnier Jokes: Tip 1 – Make Setups and Punchlines Short, Tip 2 – End Punchlines with the Reveal, Tip 3 – Use K-Words to Enhance Punchlines, and Tip 4 – Localize Comedy Routines, and Tip 5 – Make Punchlines More Negative.<\/p>\n
With your growing knowledge you should be getting better and better at writing jokes and routines for the stand-up comedy stage.<\/p>\n
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Tip 6 – To Pun or Not to Pun<\/b><\/h2>\n
Puns have been used since ancient times, in the Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and of course, Shakespeare. Clever use of language has always been a major source of entertainment and humor.<\/p>\n
Puns may be useful for pun-ishing your friends. Yet in professional stand-up comedy, they can get laughs or produce groans. That\u2019s probably because a good joke, like a good magic trick, is more effective if the audience doesn\u2019t see how it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n
No form of joke displays its inner workings more overtly than a pun. It seems puns emphasize, \u201cLook how clever I am with words,\u201d rather than revealing the humor of the joke.<\/p>\n
This article focuses on the use of puns in stand-up comedy jokes, particularly one-liners, and how to avoid getting groans instead of laughs.<\/p>\n
Do You Want to Get a Laugh or a Groan?<\/h3>\n
As a stand-up comedy teacher, when I talk about how puns can get laughs or groans. There\u2019s no correct answer. I\u2019ve seen famous comedians get huge laughs with puns in one show and get a groan in another.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had students disagree with my view on puns, saying, \u201cWell, it\u2019s better to get a groan than no response at all. Of course, it\u2019s up to you, but be clear about your goals.<\/p>\n
If you want to get groans, then by all means pun it up. If your aim is to develop a 5 laugh per minute comedy show, then learn to use puns to get laughs, not groans.<\/p>\n
My question is \u201cDo you want your jokes to get laughs or groans?\u201d The answer is none of my business. My job is to help everyone articulate their own sense of humor. I avoid dictating such matters in my stand-up comedy classes.<\/p>\n
If a student says, \u201cI only want to get laughs. I don\u2019t like groans,\u201d then I teach them a few joke writing techniques that use puns and the like to elicit laughs.<\/p>\n
Here are a few stand-up comedy joke writing techniques:<\/p>\n
Put the Pun Word or Phrase in the Setup<\/h3>\n
A technique I\u2019ve discovered over my 40 years of teaching joke writing for stand-up comedy is stop putting the pun at the end of the punchlines. This accentuates the puniness.<\/p>\n
For instance, this joke with the pun at the end of the punchline:
\u201cHe\u2019s on suicide watch, so we hid the cheddar cheese to keep him away from everything that was sharp.\u201d<\/p>\nIn this modern, jaded, overexposed, demanding, and critical global media, it might get a groan. Not always, but more often than not. The play on words overshadows the humor expressed by the joke.<\/p>\n
If you prefer a laugh over a groan, the technique I teach is to put the pun word or phrase in the setup of the joke.<\/p>\n
For instance, the previous joke could be written:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s on suicide watch, so we hid everything that was sharp. Even the cheddar cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now you\u2019re using the ambiguous pun, \u201csharp\u201d as a misdirection device to make them think you’re going to make a joke about hiding knives and such. When the punchline reveals \u201ccheddar cheese,\u201d it\u2019s expressing the humor of the exaggerated precaution.<\/p>\n
This joke stresses the worry and overcompensation of those keeping him from using anything sharp to harm himself. From my experience, and not always true, gets a bigger and better laugh. Whereas the original joke will probably get a groan<\/p>\n
Make it your practice to put the pun words or phrases in your setups, and then you can write jokes that get laughs. Here are a couple more examples of jokes with the pun in the setups:<\/p>\n
Female Comic: \u201cI\u2019m dating again, so I bring some feminine protection. My Grandma.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter my divorce I had a sex change. From very seldom to not at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
You get the idea.<\/p>\n
Groans Can Grow<\/h3>\n
A major downside of getting groans is they can take over an audience like a virus. One groan gestates into two groans, then the third joins in. The audience gets to participate, so it\u2019s fun.<\/p>\n
There are mirror neurons in our brain that are susceptible to yawns, laughter, and also groans. Soon you have an audience that only groans, even if the jokes or bits that otherwise get laughs.<\/p>\n
Make sure your jokes are not the carrier. The groaning can spread like a sickness that infects and destroys your own stand-up comedy show. When it reaches an epidemic, it becomes a form of heckling.<\/p>\n
Have Funny Comebacks for Groans<\/h3>\n
You needn\u2019t be a victim of groans. Be proactive and write some comeback jokes to embarrass the person who groans instead of laughs.<\/p>\n
For instance, in San Diego, I watched a street juggler shut down a groaner with this put-down:<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, if you had any taste, you wouldn\u2019t be here in the first place.\u201d
He was prepared. This kind of joke is called a floater. It floats in your unconscious mind until the moment arises to use it.<\/p>\nIn this joke writing article, How to Write Funnier Jokes: Tip 6 – To Pun or Not to Pun, you\u2019ve learned that puns can get laughs or groans. Try the joke writing technique of placing the pun word or phrase in the setup to find out if it turns a groan into a laugh to improve your stand-up comedy shows.<\/p>\n
In the next stand-up comedy writing article, How to Write Funnier Jokes: Tip 7 – Eliminate Comic\u2019s Cliches, you\u2019ll learn to identify and avoid old tired phrases that all hack comics use to write fresh original jokes.<\/p>\n
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Greg Dean’s Stand Up Comedy Classes<\/h2>\n
Greg teaches his techniques in two classes.\u00a0 The first is called “How to Build a Stand Up Comedy Routine” and is the beginning class (also called the “101 class”) and the “Advanced Joke Writing & Performing Class” (also known as the “201 class”).\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
Even though these classes are named a beginning and advanced,\u00a0 they are actually classes that stand up comedians of any number of years of experience can take.\u00a0 They are beginning and advanced in the Greg Dean system.\u00a0 If you’re interested in faster and better ways to create good jokes and you want to dive deeper on joke writing then you’ll want to take both of these classes.<\/p>\n
Greg teaches his classes live in Santa Monica as well as live on zoom.\u00a0 If you are in the greater Los Angeles area, you can sign up for his classes at the Santa Monica Playhouse.\u00a0 Check our Calendar of Events to see all upcoming classes.\u00a0 Calendar of Events<\/a><\/p>\n