Shayne-Michael.COMedy

Twelve Types Of Joke Structure

This essay discusses twelve types of joke structures. These structures are common patterns that I've noticed among popular jokes. In each case I included examples and how to best utilize each type of structure while avoiding its pitfalls. In case you're wondering, this list doesn't mean there aren't a hundred other ways to construct a joke. These are simply twelve of the most common. They include:

1. Redefinition & Retitling
2. Definition Through Obvious Exclusion
3. Statistical Analysis
4. Inappropriate Suggestions For Personal Safety
5. Not Using Euphemisms Where Appropriate
6. Bringing Euphemisms Home
7. Underplaying Damages With Understatements
8. Overplaying Damages To Get Your Way
9. Analyzing Errors In Sentence Structure
10. Inappropriate Personal Settings
11. Logical Mismatch
12. Asking The Obvious Questions
13. It's not important that you understand each technique backwards and forwards. What will help you immensely, as you write, is to refer back to this list when you encounter writer's block. Then look at the premises you want to discuss and decide which ones lend themselves to which types of joke?

Here's a break down of each type of structure.

1. Redefinition & Retitling

Redefinition and retitling are jokes where you give something a new name. For instance, when George Carlin talks about his dog running in front of a truck, he redefines the dog's actions as suicide.

Redefinition is common when things don't work out the way we plan. For instance, after anything bad happens to his son a father may redefine the situation as a "character building experience." You can retitle your boss a slaver driver. And you can retitle your ex-lover a selfish bitch (or bastard). Either way, you'll have to give enough background to justify your remarks.

To make redefinition work well, move from the definition (or title) the audience envisions to the one that you envision. It's that motion that makes the joke work. "I know my ex girlfriend and I will meet again in heaven. I don' t say that because I think she's a saint. I just don't think Satan could deal with the bitch." - Shayne Michael 1999. What makes the joke work is the plausible motion from the word angel to the word bitch. I imply that she's an angel who sadly passed away. Then I redefine her as a bitch that even Satan couldn't handle.

2. Definition Through Obvious Exclusion

Definition through obvious exclusion is simple technique. It requires a question and answer session. The question is usually some form of "What the hell is that?" directed at someone who has no idea. The respondent answers with what it obviously isn't.

For instance suppose three women go into a bar that features male strippers. Out walks a three hundred pound male stripper. One lady asks, "What the hell is that?" Another answers, "It ain't the terminator."

Definition through obvious exclusion usually appears in the form of a throw away joke. However, they sometimes get huge laughs when they are used as a call backs. Because redefinition through obvious exclusion requires a question and an answer, the joke usually requires two characters. That doesn't mean the comic can't ask the question to the audience. And it doesn't mean that a comic with multiple personalties can't mimic the question and answer session in his own head.

3. Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis comes from the part of every survey people don't discuss. For instance, "A new survey shows 50% of college students binge drink, 20% do heavy drugs, and 10% are in some type of rehab program. The other 30% are just really bad at lying to the people who take surveys." - Shayne Michael 2001.

Of course the punchline came as I asked myself, "Every college student does that. Were the other 30% too hung over to answer?"

Numerical mismatches are spoofs of surveys. The best example is the joke on the Simpsons where Kent Brockman says, "According to one survey, 55% of the people feel this way while 50% of the people feel that way. This survey has a 5% margin of error." Duh, (55 + 50 = 105%).

What makes this type of joke work is not simply the fact that the numbers don't add up. It's the fact that the error tells you something new. In the Simpsons example, the obvious message is that no survey really adds up. The biggest complaint about surveys is, depending on the way they're worded, you can make the results come out anyway you want. So, an 105% response rate seems entirely plausible.

4. Inappropriate Suggestions For Personal Safety

This is another simple type of joke. It's also somewhat overdone. Spoofs on haunted house pictures are full of these types of jokes. "Jessica. I hear a noise. Now, three of our friends are dead. And I know how much Kevin meant to you... So, I'll let you go find him and I'll go downstairs and get the police..."

Obviously, my concern is my own ass. Inappropriate suggestions for personal safety have to put someone else in danger to work. At the same time, the suggestions must be veiled in some dishonest form of concern. I'll let you go find him, literally translates, "You have my permission to go die." Huge laughs will come when my faked concern is so convincing that Jessica gives me a big hug. Says, "Thank you, I knew you still loved me." And then she goes off to her tragic death.

5. Not Using Euphemisms Where Appropriate

"Well she stood me up. She didn't call. And she didn't apologize afterwards."

"Sounds like she's a..."

"...Bitch?"

Shock comedy often replaces euphemisms with honest language. For my joke to work, I have to justify using the using the word bitch by painting a clear portrait of her "bitchy" behavior. If she so much as apologized, I'll look like an asshole for using the word.

The key to remember is euphemisms started for a purpose. In most cases the language was way too harsh. One day, we realized our error in judgement and replaced the harsh words with something more polite. But too often the pendulum swung too far the other way and the language became too soft.

The clue that the euphemism is no longer appropriate is when it really starts to make you feel angry and dishonest that your using it. After waiting three hours in a parking lot, you stop thinking, "Oh she's just tending to her weave," and start thinking, "What a thoughtless bitch."

6. Bringing Euphemisms Home

When you bring a euphemisms home you point out how dishonest or dangerous it is. In order to construct this type of joke you need a good understanding why the euphemisms that has gone too far.

The warden told me, "We don't punish prisoners here. We nurture them." Good thing, that's what murders need. encouragement. (The plausible implication is they will be combining that encouragement with their tendency to murder people. Most people would consider that a bad thing.)

7. Underplaying Damage With Understatements

Underplaying damage is when you downplay the emotional or physical toll of any event because you would rather not deal with it. Another way of looking at this type of joke is when you look on the bright side of an event where no bright side exists.

After an accident... A lady walks up to the car she hit. "I am so sorry. I didn't see the sign. Are you okay?"

"Well, it depends. Would call this a broken arm or say I'm double jointed?"

Understatements like this can be delivered as sarcasm, if that's your character on stage. They can also be delivered as loveable ignorance if your the type of Gracie Allen character. The major difference between the two examples is one type of character is in on the joke the other type is not.

8. Getting Your Way With Overstatements

When you get your way with an overstatement, you're basically appealing to somebody's feelings of guilt. "Well you're home an hour late. The dog was a pain. Your mom only called twelve times. I'm pretty sure that the kids got food poisoning because I can't cook and we're out of TV dinners. But then I should expect such selfish behavior from the last person I poisoned."

There are two things to keep in mind. It's not difficult to blow things out of proportion. Simply start writing with the perspective that the entire world revolves around you. Second it's funnier when you blow something out of proportion that's really your own fault. Look back. The kids got food poisoning but I knew I couldn't cook. Who was really at fault? I could have called Dominoes.

9. Analyzing Errors In Sentence Structure

Errors in sentence structure come from the fact very few people think as they speak. Carlin invented this type of joke. This type of joke became famous the minute Carlin said, "Get on the plane... Fuck you... I'm getting in the plane..."

"He writes good..."

"He writes well..."

Why isn't this error funny then? Well, unlike the error Carlin points out there is no consequence between the two alternatives. If I choose the word good or if I choose the word well, the Earth will still turn just the same. On the other hand... If I truly got "on" the plane... I'd be dead ten minutes later.

10. Inappropriate Personal Settings

Inappropriate personal settings is the easiest type of joke structures to master. An example is describing a scene where two people are discussing which horse to bet on at the track. After the discussion plays out, you reveal you're talking to your priest. To make this joke work the person's occupation shouldn't be revealed until after you paint a clear picture of a place that person shouldn't be.

Make sure you understand the difference between this type of joke and challenging the presumption that the priest wouldn't go there. If you start talking about how priests can't have sex. And then, you talk about your trip to a brothel. Your audience won't be surprised if you throw a priest into the story. You gave away your direction by including your opinion about the vow of chastity the priest has to take in the first place.

11. Logical Mismatch

Welcome to the realm of the brilliant joke that will make you think your microphone is dead. Carlin makes a point in his video "Doin' It Again".

"Selling is legal..." --- Point A - True

"Fucking is legal..." --- Point B - True

"Why isn't selling fucking legal?" --- Point A + Point B: False

How did that happen? If you understand logical structure. If all dogs are mammals, and Spot is a dog, Spot cannot be a fish. Yet if you look at Carlin's point closely, Spot is indeed a fish. Logical mismatch jokes are gems that point out every day errors in reasoning. They take careful attention to detail to notice. They're also good to test how smart your audience is. In Wyoming, they will often convince you that the audience is deaf.

12. Asking The Obvious Questions

Asking the obvious questions happens when you watch a news story and think, "Why the hell would anyone do that?" Why do people run from the police? Don't they know they can't get away? Does anyone truly believe with a helicopter chasing after you, you will ever be able to run fast enough?

Obvious question jokes can really only be worded one way. I have a joke where I say, "There's an I can't believe it's not butter spray... Here's your first clue it's not butter... It's in a spray..." The obvious question I'm asking is how could anybody mistake this product for butter? There is no alternate wording for this joke. Anyone who asks that question is also telling the same joke. So in order to own these type of jokes, you need to notice them first.

Summary Of This Article

This essay talks about twelve common structures among jokes. They include, redefinition & retitling, definition through obvious exclusion, statistical analysis, inappropriate suggestions for personal safety, not using euphemisms where appropriate, bringing euphemisms home, underplaying damages with understatements, overplaying damages to get your way, analyzing errors in sentence structure, inappropriate personal settings, logical mismatch, and asking the obvious questions.

Each type of joke has a varying degrees of difficulty to learn. Inappropriate suggestions for personal safety are the easiest to master. Look at any horror movie spoof and you will get a hundred lessons. Logical Mismatch jokes are the most difficult and least appreciated. To use these type of joke structures effectively simply hold onto this list. Whenever you encounter writers block, look to see which premise would lend themselves to which type of structure. When you answer that, simply fill in the missing parts of the puzzle and continue writing.