“Using Humour in the English Classroom”

Geoff Tranter, Germany

Geoff Tranter has been working in further and adult education both in Britain and in Germany for many years. During this period he has been heavily involved in all aspects of vocation and non-vocational language testing - including syllabus design with particular reference to the CEFR, examiner training, test materials development, etc. From 2003 to 2008 he was Team Leader for telc GmbH. And humour, especially humour as a learning tool in the classroom, has been his hobby throughout his professional At present he is a free-lance language and language test consultant working together with various organisations including German Ministries of Education, regional associations of Further and Adult Education Colleges in Germany, and quite recently the German Civil Aviation Authority. His latest project is the development of an online test for Technical English together with Mondiale GmbH.
E-mail: geofftranter@yahoo.co.uk

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About the book
Sample activities
Key

About the book

“Using Humour in the English Classroom” consists of a number of activity sheets or copymasters that can be photocopied for use in class. They are based on a variety of aspects of English language humour and provide an opportunity for a more light-hearted approach to learning in the classroom. But equally they all have some language features that will help to support language learning. Depending on the actual activity sheet, they may promote vocabulary learning or there may be a structural background allowing grammatical items to be practised in a more humorous context. They can help to promote both language awareness and intercultural awareness (showing how native speakers use language in a humorous way). And, in addition, the more positive approach that humour can help to create in the classroom should motivate learners to read texts in more detail and in this way promote reading skills. Playing with the language can also increase people’s learning skills, and some activities look at stylistic aspects giving the learners an opportunity to compare different styles. The basic aim of the book is three-fold: to promote

1. understanding, i.e. to understand what is being said on a cognitive level;
2. appreciation, i.e. the emotional level of understanding and being able to laugh along with native speakers, and
3. creativity, i.e. the ability to use various features of English-language humour to create one’s own examples.

Sample activities

The following examples taken from the book show the variety of language activities the book offers.

1. Droodles – What phrase does this picture represent?
   
2. Acronyms – Make a sentence from the following airline acronyms:
   1. ALITALIA
   2. DELTA
3. Definitions – What is ----
   1. a place that serves cold soup on purpose.
   2. a body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
4. Howlers – Correct the following:
   1. His Heinous King Henry VIII.
   2. Adolescence is the stage between puberty and adultery.
5. Tom Swiftly – Add appropriate adverb
   1. “I love the novels of D. H. Lawrence,” said the lady ......
   2. “I never play any music by Hungarian composers,” said Tom …
6. They never die. What happens to these people? Match.
   1. Old barmen never die, they just… # ... lose the habit.
   2. Old Helsinki tourists never die, they just…… # ... end up on the rocks!
   3. Old nuns never die, they just… # ... vanish into Finn Air.
7. I used to indecisive, but now I’m not so sure. Complete the following:
   1. I used to be omniscient, …
   2. I used to be schizophrenic, …
8. Headlines – What happened?
   
9. Riddles – What do you get if you cross ... ? Find the correct answer.
   1. a chicken with gunpowder? # An anglosaxophone
   2. an MP3 player with a fridge? # Cool music
   3. a woodwind instrument with an ancient Briton? # An eggsplosion
10. Miscellaneous
    1. Can you say this tongue-twister? The sixth sick sheikh’s sixth sheep’s sick.
    2. Read the text and complete the conclusion:

If you would like more of the same, more examples of different types of English humour or just the answers to the above, have a look at “Using Humour in the English Classroom”

Key

1. Two degrees below zero
2. a. Always Late In Take-off Always Late In Arrival; b. Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive
3. a. A gourmet restaurant; b. A committee
4. a. His Highness King Henry VIII; b. Adolescence is the stage between puberty and adulthood
5. a. said the lady chattily; b. said Tom listlessly.
6. a. ... end up on the rocks; b. ... vanish into Finn Air; c. ... lose the habit.
7. a. ... but now I know everything! B. ... but now we’re okay!
8. This is a guessing game with no one single correct answer.
9. a. An eggsplosion b. Cool music c. An anglosaxophone
10. It’s speaking English that kills you.

Please check the Improving English through Humour course at Pilgrims website.