Why Do We Use ‘Puns’ in Language?

Puns are jokes that use words with two meanings. Like when someone says, 'I’m reading a book about anti-gravity, it’s un-put-down-able!' That’s funny because ‘un-put-down-able’ sounds like ‘unputdownable,’ but it plays on the idea of not being able to put something down. People use puns to make language fun and surprise others.

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Examples

  1. A teacher says, 'I gave my dog a book, he just chewed it up!' because ‘chewed’ sounds like ‘chose’ but also means to eat something with teeth.
  2. You say, 'That math problem was figuratively hard!' meaning the numbers were tough and ‘figure’ can also mean a shape or a person.
  3. A baker says, 'I made a pie, it was apple-ing good!' because ‘apple’ sounds like ‘applying’ but also refers to the fruit.

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Categories: Science · language· psychology· humor