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aCTIVITy 4.2
continued
Understanding the Complexity of Humor
Grammar UsaGe
Subject-Verb Agreement
A verb form must agree in number (singular or plural) with its subject. When the subject is plural, the verb of the sentence must also be plural. For example:
Singular: “His comedy is funny ...”
Plural: “Comedians have their own theories ...”
The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular subjects and thus require a singular verb form. Do not
be confused by words that appear between the subject and the verb. For example:
“Everyone who writes comedy needs to know the audience.”
my Notes
a dentist—not funny. Show a photo of a dentist with a monkey in his chair, and it’s comedy gold. Try this theory out on a few of your family photos, and you’ll see.” OK, so monkeys are funny. What else? How about this?
4 Two hunters were in the woods, when one collapsed. He didn’t seem to be breathing. The other called the emergency number and said, “My friend is dead! What can I do?” The operator said, “Calm down, I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.” After a second of silence on the hunter’s end, the operator heard a gunshot. The hunter came back on the phone and said, “OK, now what?”
5 If you laughed, you’re not alone. In the year 2001, that joke was voted the funniest in the world as part of a project called LaughLab. Psychologist Richard Wiseman’s
goal was to determine what makes people laugh and what is found to be funny among men and women, older and younger people, and people from different countries. His research team tested people in person and asked others to submit opinions online using a “Giggleometer,” which ranked jokes on a scale of 1–5. More than 40,000 jokes were tested.
6 You may be saying to yourself, “Studying jokes? Is that science?” But plenty of smart people say yes. Laughter is a biological function. It has a certain rhythm; laughter syllables build, then trail off, and they come out in a repetitive, not random, sequence. For example, “ha-ha-ho-ho-he” is typical, but “ha-ho-ha-ho-ha” or “he-ho-he” just doesn’t happen.
7 Babies begin to laugh instinctively when they’re about four months old, perhaps to form a connection with parents. Those born blind and deaf also laugh, so laughter is not dependent on sight and hearing. Other animals, notably chimps, exhibit laugh-like behavior when playing with one another. Even rats, when tickled, make high-pitched squeals that can be interpreted as laughter. (As you might guess, only a dedicated few know this firsthand.)
Comedy Is Serious Stuff
8 Comics know that the same jokes are not funny to everyone everywhere. Ed Hiestand, a writer for comedy great Johnny Carson, told READ, “Everyone who writes comedy needs to know the audience. On the Carson show, everybody would laugh
on a Friday night. Nobody would laugh on a Monday.” Even within one state or town or family, senses of humor are as varied as the people are. Professional comics do not assume a 10 p.m. audience will like a joke because a 7 p.m. audience did.
9 Comedians who test jokes for a living say it’s hit or miss. “It’s a tough gig, and you have to have a large threshold for pain,” said stand-up Jay Nog. Performers whose jokes get a two-second laugh consider that a significant accomplishment.
10 Timing is critical. Starting stand-up Zubair Simonson said he’s learning the hard way that “good timing can cause a weak joke to soar, while poor timing can cause
a strong joke to falter.” Authors and film actors do not often get immediate public feedback. But comics do.
11 What keeps the funny guys going? The laughs and after-effects. “The best humor has some sort of layer to it; it makes a statement of some kind or comment,” said Margy Yuspa, a director at Comedy Central. “An example is [Dave] Chappelle. His comedy is funny on the surface and also often comments on race or social issues.”
Funny You Said That
12 Comedians have their own theories about humor. “What makes us laugh is a surprise change in perspective that connects an unknown with a known idea in a
252 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 8
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