To Wit: An E-zine On How To Be a Wit
11/12/2007

This is an E-zine from Thomas Christopher on how to be witty.

WHY DO PEOPLE GROAN AT PUNS?

People laugh at jokes and groan at puns. Why the difference?

A possible reason can be found in Marvin Helitzer's book “Comedy Writing Secrets. He proposes a joke needs all of the elements indicated by the THREES acronym:

TARGET - what the joke is about.

HOSTILITY.

REALISM - people have to accept the basic premise of the joke.

EXAGGERATION - on the other hand, strict realism isn't funny.

EMOTION - the joke must engage the listener's feelings.

SURPRISE - the sudden twist of perspective at the end.

(Some people object to the "target" and "hostility" parts. They say, "I think jokes should be nice." People who think jokes should be nice don’t get laughs.)

What about puns? They miss out on several aspects of jokes. Typically, they don't have a target, or even a topic. They are only about the word play. They lack hostility and they do not engage the listeners’ emotions. With all those things against it, it’s not surprising a pun doesn’t get laughter.

The same kind of word play you use for a pun can inspire delight if it is a clever turn of phrase summarizing some point. The classic example is a radio ad campaign for a savings and loan company where each commercial ended, "Call our loan arranger, and pronto."

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