1. Setup and Punchline
Structure: Establish a premise (setup), then deliver an unexpected twist (punchline).
Example: “I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised.”
2. Rule of Three
Structure: List two normal items, then a third that’s absurd or unexpected.
Example: “I like my coffee like I like my mornings: hot, strong, and sadly necessary.”
3. Callback
Structure: Refer back to an earlier joke or line later in the performance for comedic effect.
Example: First joke: “I’m terrible at directions.” Later: “Which is why I ended up at a dog wedding.”
4. Exaggeration / Hyperbole
Structure: Take a situation or characteristic and blow it way out of proportion.
Example: “I’m so bad at cooking, even my smoke detector files complaints.”
5. Irony / Incongruity
Structure: Present a situation opposite to what is expected.
Example: “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
6. Observational Comedy
Structure: Humor comes from noting the absurdity in everyday life.
Example: “Why do they put locks on 24-hour convenience stores? Are we really worried about 3 AM bandits?”
7. Wordplay / Puns
Structure: Play with language, double meanings, or similar sounds.
Example: “I’m reading a book on anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down.”
8. Misdirection
Structure: Lead the audience to expect one outcome, then surprise them.
Example: “I have an inferiority complex… but it’s not a very good one.”
9. Self-Deprecation
Structure: Make fun of yourself, often to build rapport.
Example: “I’m on a seafood diet. I see food, and I eat it… mostly because I can’t cook.”
10. Parody / Satire
Structure: Imitate or exaggerate a style, genre, or person to highlight absurdities.
Example: Making a dramatic movie trailer about doing laundry.
11. Call-and-Response / Interaction
Structure: Engage the audience or another character, often leading to humorous exchanges.
Example: Comedians asking, “How many of you…?” and riffing off audience reactions.
12. Absurdism / Surreal Comedy
Structure: Create humor by embracing the illogical, bizarre, or nonsensical.
Example: “I bought a cat to guard my house. Turns out he only guards my socks.”
13. Contrast / Juxtaposition
Structure: Place two contrasting ideas, characters, or situations side by side for effect.
Example: “I’m a vegetarian… except for when I see bacon. Then I’m a terrible person with good taste.”
9 Laughter Triggers
surprise, embarrassment, superiority , release,
configurational, incongruity, recognition, ambivalence , coincidence
