Since the weekly column topic is about humour and laughing this week, I’d like to share some vocabulary that may help you talk about humour in English!

The basics

First of all, the words “joke” and “prank” can be used as both nouns and verbs. A “joke” tends to be spoken or written and depends on words to convey humour, while a “prank” or “practical joke” tends to be physical (like jumping out and scaring someone). 

When using these words as nouns, you can use the verb “play” with them, as in “to play a joke/prank on someone.” You can also “tell” someone a verbal joke. Additionally, the verb “to kid” is used to mean “to deceive, fool, or tease” someone.

• What’s the funniest joke you’ve ever heard?

• She told a really terrible joke at the beginning of the meeting, which made everyone uncomfortable.

• I pranked my buddy yesterday and it was hilarious! / I played a prank on my buddy yesterday and it was hilarious!

• Are you kidding me? You can’t be serious!

Common phrases

• If someone does not appreciate a joke, they may simply say “It’s not funny!” This means that they (seriously) want you to stop joking about that subject.

• If you want to assure someone that you were not being serious, you can say “I was just joking/kidding (around)” or simply “Just joking/kidding!”

• When someone takes a joke too seriously, you can say “Lighten up! It’s just a joke!” The phrase “lighten up” means “take it easy” or “don’t take it so seriously!”

• When you don’t believe what someone says and think it must be a joke or a lie, you can say “You must be joking” or “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Sense of humour

Different people and different cultures have different “senses of humour” (the types of things that someone considers to be funny). While some people like physical “slapstick” humour (comedy based on deliberately clumsy actions and humorously embarrassing events), others prefer “witty humour” (especially using words in a clever/smart/intellectual way), such as “puns” or “wordplay” (jokes about the use and meanings of words). Unoriginal or predictable humour, especially bad puns, may be referred to as “dad jokes.”

There are many other kinds of humour as well, such as “awkward/cringe humour” (which uses social awkwardness and personal distress), “sarcastic humour” (which uses irony in order to mock or convey contempt), and even “dark/black/morbid humour” (which makes light of topics that are usually taboo or painful to discuss). 

In Part 2, we’ll take a look at how to describe jokes, verbs for reacting to jokes, and laughing in text. See you then!