What is the meaning of pun in English?
What is the meaning of pun in English?
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1 Answer
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A pun is a joke or a form of wordplay in English that uses a phrase or a word to create a sentence with two or more meanings. It is usually done by using word/s with:
- Same sound but different meaning or spelling
- Multiple meanings
- Same spelling with different pronunciations and meanings
Examples:
- “The librarian checked out. She had too many overdue dates.”
- “Claustrophobia is a little room for improvement.”
- “The optometrist fell into his lens grinder and made a spectacle of himself.”
Similar Questions for you
No, idioms and puns are not the same thing, but they are not completely different either. Idioms are puns are closely related to one another.
An idiom is a phrase that does not have a literal meaning. However, a pun is a joke or humor created by playing with words with more than one meaning or a similar sound.
Puns can be created by twisting idioms to create witty sentences. But idioms cannot be created from puns.
No, puns are not grammatically incorrect. To create a pun, the English grammar rules are followed. However, the words are used in a way to create humor with double meanings.
This means that a pun forms a structurally correct sentence by playing with the meaning, not the grammar.
The following are the different types of puns in English:
1. Homophonic Puns: Uses words with same sound but different spellings or meanings.
2. Homographic Puns: Uses words with same spellings, but different meanings or pronunciations.
3. Homonymic Puns: Uses one word with multiple meanings.
4. Compound Puns: Combines two or more puns in a sentence.
5. Visual Puns: Uses images to represent a pun.
6. Equivoque Puns: Uses ambiguous words or phrases deliberately.
Here are some pun examples:
- “She had a photographic memory but never developed it.”
- “I am no good at math, but I know that 7 days without pizza makes one weak.”
- “The bicycle couldn't stand up by itself….it was two-tired.”
- “I was struggling to figure out how lightning works, but then it struck me.”
- “I once heard a joke about amnesia, but I forgot how it goes.”
- “Don't trust atoms…they make up everything.”
- “The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.”
- “My calendar days are numbered.”
- “I used to be a watchmaker, but I couldn't find the time.”
- “The baker stopped making donuts
Some of the foolproof means to identify Irony are as follows:
· Look for the outcome which is opposite to the expectations.
· Can change the overall tone or mood of the plot, either from comedy to tragedy or vice versa.
· Brings a surge in emotions, either in terms of humour, tragedy, or surprise.
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