Fun with Puns

My father and I decided we wanted to incorporate some semantic lessons into the class. We thought puns might be a fun way to open the door to ambiguity. Here is the lesson and the worksheet associated with it. My students found the assignment challenging but had a good time making up their own puns.

Lesson Plan for Puns and Fun with the Trombone
The whole lesson should last 30 minutes on Wednesday May 21, 2008

∑ First define pun: A pun is a joke that depends on a word having two meanings. The joke comes from the unexpected association with the second meaning after setting up the listener to expect the first meaning.

∑ It starts with the dictionary in your head.

It has one entry for the sound [bIl] (Bill) that includes two meanings.
a. An account of how much something costs.
b. The nose of a bird.

∑ Give examples:

∑ A duck walks into a pharmacy and asks for some chapstick. How are you going to pay for it? asks the pharmacist. Just put it on my bill.

∑ What does Land-O-Lakes and an angry ram have in common? Both are a kind of butter.

∑ What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper.

∑ What’s the difference between a face and a wrestler? The wrestler knows the holds and the face holds the nose.

∑ What do you call a groupie that can’t stop spinning? An electric fan.

∑ A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'

∑ Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my Electron.' The other says, 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'

∑ I went to a concert and heard a woman play a Baroque violin. It would have sounded even better if she used a violin that worked.

∑ You may have to explain the first two to show how it works.

∑ Give students some words that could be used for puns and put the class into two groups. The two words are:

∑ Horse/ hoarse

∑ Subject

The students then have five minutes to figure out the best pun and Dr. Keyser judges the best one.

Here is the worksheet associated with the lesson.

Worksheet for Puns and Fun with the Trombone


Definition of a pun: A pun is a joke that depends on a word having two meanings. The joke comes from the unexpected association with the second meaning after setting up the listener to expect the first meaning.

Directions: With the examples below, use the dictionary in your head to first figure out which word has two meanings and write it in the blank space provided. Next write the two meanings in the next two blank spaces. Finally, explain the joke in the final space.

Notice that for puns 1-2 the word in question sounds the same and is within the sentence
1. What is black and white and red/read all over?
∑ Word in mental dictionary _________________.
∑ Meaning one_____________________
∑ Meaning two_____________________
∑ Explain the pun __________________________________________


2. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my Electron.' The other says, 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'
∑ Word in mental dictionary_________________
∑ Meaning one _____________
∑ Meaning two _______________
∑ Explain the pun _________________________________________________

For numbers 3-5, the word in question is not within the sentence itself, but the sound is the same.


3. What do Land-O-Lakes and an angry ram have in common?
∑ Word in mental dictionary________________
∑ Meaning one ____________________
∑ Meaning two _____________________
∑ Explain the pun _____________________





4. What’s the difference between a face and a wrestler?
∑ Word in the mental dictionary__________________
∑ Meaning one ______________________
∑ Meaning two ______________________
∑ Explain the pun _____________________


5. What do you call a groupie that can’t stop spinning?
∑ Word in the mental dictionary____________________
∑ Meaning one _________________________
∑ Meaning two ________________________
∑ Explain the pun _____________________________

If you finish early, try 6-7 as a challenge.

For numbers 6-7, the word is within the sentence, but the sound is slightly different. There are three spaces provided. In the first space write the word as it is spelled in the sentence; in the second space create your own spelling of the way the word sounds to you (phonemic spelling). For example, vulture could be spelled the way it sounds: vulcher) In space three write the word that is sounds similar to with phonemic spelling, finally explain the pun in the final space provided.


6. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.' _______________, __________________, ________________.
_____________________________________________________________


7. I went to a concert and heard a woman play a Baroque violin. It would have sounded even better if she used a violin that worked. ______________ , ______________, ________________
_____________________________________________________________


Here are some words that could be used for puns. In your groups, try to create a pun from the following words: You many use the dictionary to figure out the two meanings.
On the back of this worksheet, write out the pun that you create. Mr. Keyser will judge them and decide the winner.

∑ Horse/hoarse
∑ Subject/subject


If you would like a copy of the lesson and/or worksheet, email me at bkeyser@sd3.k12.mt.us or check them out on TeachLing.