CLOSE READING BOOKLET PUNS What is a pun? This is a play on words which sound similar but have different meanings. Did you hear about the cross eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils ? The pun word here is pupils as it has two meanings : it refers to her eyes as well as the children in her class. CLOSE READING EXAMPLE Look at this headline: ‘The Fisher-man who Lost His Sole’ QUESTION Why is this an effective headline for a newspaper article ? ANSWER The headline stands out because of the clever pun used in it. The word ‘sole’ is spelled as if it is a fish, which relates to the job the man does. It also suggests that the man has lost his ‘soul’ (who he really is!)– which is what the article is about. ACTIVITY 1 Copy out the following jokes, underlining the pun words or phrases in each. The first one has been done for you. a) A baker stopped making donuts after he got tired of the hole thing. b) A cannibal's favourite game is 'swallow the leader'. c) A doctor who fell on his funny bone had a nurse tell him it was a humerus incident. d) A police dog is often the scenter of a drug arrest. e) A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months. f) Baker's Motto: "It's nice to be kneaded." g) Dentists practice by going through many drills. h) Farmers are real experts - they are often outstanding in their field. i) How do you make antifreeze? Steal her blanket. j) It was an emotional wedding. Even the cake was in tiers. ACTIVITY 2 Read the following terrible pun jokes! 1) I changed my iPod name to Titanic... It's syncing now. 2) When chemists die, they barium. 3) Broken pencils are pointless. 4) I tried to catch some fog . I mist. 5) How does Moses make his tea ? Hebrews it. 6) I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Than it dawned on me. 7) I'm reading a book about anti-gravity . I can't put it down. 8) All the toilets in New York 's police stations have been stolen . Police have nothing to go on. 9) Be kind to your dentist. He has fillings, too. ACTIVITY 3 In pairs, discuss the two meanings of each word or phrase underlined above. The first two have been done for you. Use a dictionary to help if you need it. 1) ‘Syncing’ means happening at the same time. In this joke it also refers to sinking. 2) ‘Barium’ is an alkaline earth metal. The joke also refers to burying. Who has the best pun joke in the class?
