Writing humorously
I can identify and use a range of technique for creating humour.
Writing humorously
I can identify and use a range of technique for creating humour.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- When we satirise something, we use humour to criticise it.
- Humorous writing involves carefully deploying specific writing techniques.
- Techniques for humorous writing include irony, parody, bathos and hyperbole.
- A how to article can be structured in the form of a list or a step-by-step guide.
- When planning your humorous writing, it is important to identify the techniques you will use as well as the ideas.
Common misconception
Students sometimes think that that some people are just naturally funny and that being funny can't be taught.
Explain that humour is a skill that can be developed and practised by using words and phrases deliberately.
Keywords
Satire - use of humour or exaggeration to criticise or mock social practices or ideas
Hyperbole - exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
Irony - a form of deliberate mockery in which one says the opposite of what is obviously true
Bathos - a sudden change from a beautiful or important subject to a silly or very ordinary one
To parody - to copy the style of someone or something in a humorous way
Equipment
You will need a copy of ‘How to look busy while doing absolutely nothing’ which can be found in the additional materials.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
where the intended meaning is opposite to what is actually being said
the use of humour to criticise and expose flaws in society
a sudden drop from the serious to the trivial
a literary technique involving exaggerated statements
imitation of a particular style or genre, made funny by exaggeration