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aCTIVITy 4.2
continued
Do Tell—But Do It Right
32 There are also known techniques for telling jokes well.
• Keep it short—Don’t include any details that are not necessary to bring you to the punch line. In the genie joke, there was no need to specify it was a tropical island or to name the castaways. The quicker you tell a joke, the funnier it will be.
• Be specific—Some comedians swear that a joke is funnier if you say “Aquafresh” instead of “toothpaste.” The attention to detail makes the story seem more real.
• Keep a straight face—Deliver the joke deadpan, or without emotion. That way, any strangeness in the joke will seem even stranger because the person telling it doesn’t seem to notice.
• Don’t laugh at your own joke—Let your audience decide whether it is funny or foolish—or both.
33 Theories and techniques aside, much about humor remains a mystery. According
to Hiestand, Carson many times said, “I don’t understand what makes comedy a sure thing. There’s no 100-percent surefire formula.” Meanwhile, for most of us, laughter is never a problem. It does not need to be solved, just enjoyed.
Second Read
• Reread the essay to answer these text-dependent questions.
• Write any additional questions you have about the text in your Reader/Writer Notebook.
1. Key Ideas and Details: Why does laughter seem to qualify as a biological function? What might be the biological function of laughter?
my Notes
Unit 4 • The Challenge of Comedy 255
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