Page 5 Story Endings

The ending fulfills the promise that was made in the beginning. Endings should be inevitable, but not predictable. Generally, punchlines are funny because they are unexpected.


Five Techniques That Create Humour


  1. Exaggeration or Overstatement

    Exaggeration of physical traits, behaviours, or manners of speech intensifies aspects of the character or a situation.


    ©Pixabay
    Examples: I was so skinny, when I turned sideways, I disappeared.

    		My brother is so lazy, he hires my cousin to nap for him.


  1. Understatement

    Understatement downplays the obvious.  The writer makes the incident seem smaller than it actually is.


    ©Pixabay
    Example:
    		In the film "Jaws", after the boat has been attacked by the shark, one of the characters says, "We're going to need a bigger boat."


  1. Puns

    The humour in puns depends on using words that sound similar but have different meanings. Often, puns are a play on words. "Knock-knock" jokes often use puns to produce humour.


    ©Pixabay

    		 The best way to communicate with fish is to drop them a line.
    Examples: Sign at a deer crossing: The Buck Stops Here!
    A skunk fell in the river and stank to the bottom.


  1. Irony

    Irony is a device in which something unexpected or surprising happens. Things are not quite as they seem, as in Figure 1.

    Similarly, you may conclude a story with a completely unexpected (surprise) ending. 
Figure 1 ©Pixabay



  Please contact your teacher if you have questions.