# Joke Making Frameworks

| Name | Key Mechanic | Example |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Pun** | Using words with multiple meanings or similar sounds for humor. | *I'm reading a book on anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.* |
| **Double Entendre** | A phrase that has two interpretations, one of which is usually risqué. | *New study of obesity looks interesting.* |
| **Malapropism** | The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with an amusing effect. | *He is the very pineapple (pinnacle) of politeness.* |
| **Misdirection** | Leading the audience toward one expectation and then subverting it. | *I have many jokes about unemployed people, but none of them work.* |
| **Juxtaposition** | Placing two contrasting elements side-by-side to highlight their differences. | *A heavy metal band performing at a toddler's birthday party.* |
| **Verbal Irony** | Saying the opposite of what is actually meant, often for humorous effect. | *Looking at a torrential downpour and saying, 'What lovely weather we're having!'* |
| **Situational Irony** | When the outcome of a situation is the exact opposite of what was expected. | *A fire station burning down.* |
| **Dramatic Irony** | When the audience knows something that the characters in the story do not. | *In a horror film, the character enters a room where the audience knows the killer is hiding.* |
| **Sarcasm** | The use of irony to mock or convey contempt. | *'Oh, brilliant! You broke the only key we had.'* |
| **Satire** | Using humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize people's stupidity or vices. | *Using animals in a story to critique human political systems (e.g., Animal Farm).* |
| **Parody** | An imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect. | *A movie that mocks common tropes found in slasher films.* |
| **Burlesque** | Exaggerating a subject or style to make it appear ridiculous. | *Treating a trivial, everyday matter with the epic gravity of a Greek tragedy.* |
| **Hyperbole** | Using extreme exaggeration to emphasize a point or create absurdity. | *'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.'* |
| **Understatement** | Making something significant seem much less important than it actually is. | *Describing a massive, category-5 hurricane as 'a bit breezy out there.'* |
| **Oxymoron** | A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. | *'Deafening silence.'* |
| **Paradox** | A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth. | *'The only constant is change.'* |
| **Rule of Three** | Establishing a pattern with two items and using the third to subvert or provide the punchline. | *'A priest, a rabbi, and a monk walk into a bar...'* |
| **Callback** | Referencing a joke or topic mentioned earlier in a performance or text. | *After an earlier joke about cats, saying 'That is purr-fect!' later in the set.* |
| **Absurdity** | Using illogical, nonsensical, or surreal elements to create humor. | *A talking toaster that engages in deep philosophical debates.* |
| **Incongruity** | The comedic effect caused by a lack of harmony between elements (e.g., an unexpected object in a setting). | *A giant penguin riding a tiny, child-sized bicycle.* |
| **Litotes** | An understatement used for emphasis, often by using a negative to express a positive. | *'He's not the brightest bulb' (implying he is dim-witted).* |
| **Slapstick** | Physical comedy involving exaggerated movements or clumsy actions. | *A character slipping on a banana peel and falling spectacularly.* |
| **Bathos** | An abrupt shift from a serious, lofty, or sublime tone to something trivial or ridiculous. | *'He lost his wife, his job, and his favorite pair of socks.'* |
| **Zeugma** | Using one word (usually a verb) to apply to two others in different senses. | *'She broke his car and his heart.'* |
| **Garden Path Sentence** | A sentence that leads the reader toward an interpretation that turns out to be incorrect. | *'The old man the boat.' (Meaning: The elderly people operate the boat).* |
| **Anachronism** | Placing something in a time period where it does not belong for comedic effect. | *A medieval knight checking his smartphone during a battle.* |
| **Repetition** | Repeating words or phrases to build rhythm, emphasis, or absurdity. | *'I said, I said I'd go if he went!'* |
| **Anthropomorphism** | Attributing human characteristics or behaviors to animals or inanimate objects. | *A group of squirrels sitting around a table discussing the stock market.* |
| **Self-Deprecation** | Making oneself the subject of the joke to appear relatable or humble. | *'I'm not great at advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?'* |
| **Deadpan** | Delivering jokes or absurd statements with a completely expressionless, serious face. | *A comedian telling an incredibly ridiculous story without smiling once.* |