Using SPAG for comedy writing Comedy Glossary There are a variety of ways that your pupils can use the rules they have Alongside the definitions in the Comedy Toolbox, here are some really learned for spelling, punctuation and grammar in their comedy writing. The useful words that you might find helpful for assembling your own pieces trick is knowing when to use those rules and then when to subvert them. Here of comedy writing. are a few hints and ideas to get you going. Call-back Pace Full stops Commas & semi colons A call-back is when a comedy writer refers The speed at which a scene or routine is run. back to an earlier joke to get a second or Controlling the pace means controlling when Perfect for punchlines, the full stop Lists are always funny, especially when even third laugh from the same joke. the audience laughs. gives you a definite end to your we are using repetition in our work. If sentence and is hopefully the cue for we remember to space them out using Caricature Pun your audience to laugh. commas or semi colons, then we can This is a character that uses a distorted or A homophone that “sounds like” another to slowly build a laugh for our audience. exaggerated version of a person’s features try and make a cheesy joke: ‘Making this Exclamation marks We can make boring lists with endless or personality to create a comic effect. omelette is really EGG-citing!’ dull descriptions to send them to sleep; Was your funny story a little bit dark, brooding sentences which go Deadpan Punchline shocking for your audience? It was! Use bump in the night to scare them; or A type of comic delivery with all the usual The end line or final joke in a funny story or an exclamation mark to tell them. bright, funny and exciting lists to make emotion taken out. Usually a deadpan comic sketch. Sometimes referred to as the ‘big laugh’. them laugh. It’s up to you! will also keep their facial expressions to a minimum. Satire Question marks A type of comedy that pokes fun at a Do you want to ask your audience some Speech marks & colons Dialogue serious issue or tries to undermine people rhetorical questions? If you do, you’ll Beware of the speech mark. They are A scene which has at least two characters in authority, like the government. need to remember to add some question definitely useful when writing stories speaking to each other. Simile marks for them. Won’t you? but, when we are writing scripts, we Escalation When a comparison is made for replace them with a colon to show who is The process of turning a small joke into a comic effect: “Your feet smell worse Elipsis speaking next. Have a look at the example bigger and funnier story, usually with an than a skunk’s underpants!” Does your joke have a natural punchline script in the pack to get the hang of how exaggerated and over-the-top conclusion. or do you want to leave your audience to use them in your own writing. Stereotype hanging so they draw their own funny Farce An instantly recognisable ‘type’ of person conclusions? You may wish to use an A fast-paced piece of set comedy that which isn’t always based in reality. For ellipsis to let them know that you’re Conjunctions involves a lot of slapstick and usually example, a doctor is posh and wears a white leaving them to think for themselves… contains people entering and exiting quickly coat; a school caretaker will be grumpy and Conjunctions are great for surprises. If or mistaking character identities. jangle keys. you want your audience to expect one Noun phrases thing and then get another, you’ll need Homophone Suspension of disbelief A noun phrase will always get you a a conjunction to link your sentence Words which may have the same pronunciation The idea that an audience will always bigger laugh when telling your funny together. They might be expecting a but different meanings, often used to make a believe in your story, despite it normally being story. Was your character wearing a character to walk into a room, but pun or misdirect someone in a joke. unbelievable. suit? Or was she wearing a bright yellow they get a man wearing a walrus outfit One-liner Wit sequin-encrusted banana suit? Get juggling oranges instead! A joke which is a single sentence but packs the The idea that words can be played around those adjectives in to give your audience punchline in straightaway: “Hedgehogs – why with verbally to get a funnier meaning. those comedy descriptions. can’t they just share with everyone else?” Wit can use twisted logic, puns or double meanings to make things funny.

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