Tag Archives: humor
Understanding Sarcasm Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 30, 2020
You may have heard that controversial statement last week in which injecting disinfectant should be studied as a possible treatment for COVID-19. That was quickly dismissed, of course, and later explained as a sarcastic statement. And while the suggestion may have been a subject of scorn due to its rather unscientific nature, the more interesting…
How to Insult Someone in English Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 11, 2018
We have a saying in English, “Don’t get mad, get even.” It means that if someone has upset you, or wronged you in any way, you shouldn’t get angry with them. Instead, you should do something that will make them even more upset at you. We have a word for that, too: one-upmanship. It is…
What is a Pun? Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 9, 2016
A pun, or paronomasia, is a play on words which exploits the vagaries of language. Since many English words often sound alike, and have multiple meanings, puns are everywhere. A pun may be a joke, but not all jokes are puns. Jokes may contain clever wordplay, but they don’t have to. All puns are made…
Having Some Fun With Puns Posted by heather on Jan 18, 2012
Recently we have had a look at homophones and homographs. Now that we have done all the hard work, we can have a little bit of fun by using what we have learned and practised to make puns. Puns are jokes that rely on homophones and homographs for their humor. For example: My pony is…