A bit of a laugh ;-)?

[Grzincic]

Hello,everybody!
I came across this joke yesterday:

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don´t have to, my Mum is a good cook.

I think that humour and ability to laugh is one of the the most important gifts. I like to be surrounded with witty people, and by that I don't actually mean people who tell jokes, but who make funny and clever remarks. Of course, I like to hear a good joke, but I don't like when someone tells the whole series of them as if it was his job. What I want to say is that I prefer when laughter comes spontaneously and not when it is expected.
By the way, I think that you run a very good site. Unfortunately, I don't have too much time to be on this forum more often.
Maja

[Feljen]

Based on my experience, it is important for the teacher to be humurous. The children will feel a free enviroment and it will help them absorb the lesson. The children will also love thir pupils. Honestly, I am not that kind who cracks jokes in the class. But, I observed that my students are always carrying heavy loads in absorbing topics. I just twisted my self a bit like changing the tone of my voice and saying things that make them laugh. Since then, I observed a change

[Gray]

"Humour is the only test of gravity", says Aristotle with no humour
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First lesson - English, not english. I, not i. ~A student of English

[Saneta]

Mr Alan Townend in the e-mail of free English course wrote: ,,The lucky future husband would of course get a pot of gold and half the kingdom but it was the glum (miserable face) that the would be husbands weren't too keen on.'' Please explain me the part of this sentence: ,,that the would be husbands weren't too keen on''. Why ,,the'' is before ,,would''? What is the structure od this part odf sentence? Please explain me it or replace by another words? Thank a lot.

Here is the text: http://www.english-test.net/newsletter/a-bit-of-a-laugh-175.html

[Alan]

Hi Saneta,

'Would be' is not used here as a verb but as an adjective. What this means is that these men were potential husbands, they wanted to become the husband to the princess. We could use this expression in a sentence like: Charlie was a would be actor and he kept going to auditions in order to get a part in a play. This means that Charlie wanted to be an actor - that was his wish.

I hope that explains what I wrote in my newsletter.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Subjunctive

[Saneta]

Thank you very much Mr Alan. I haven't heard/met a 'would be' as an adjective before. It's a new experience for me.

[Prezbucky]

Shouldn't it be hyphenated since it's a compound adjective?

"John is a would-be virtuoso."
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Maria Sarmento]

Hi Torsten: Thanks a lot for your letter about "laughs", because I didn't know quite a lot of the expressions you mentioned. I think that I am usually a good humoured person (not now, because I've broken a small bone on my foot and I have to help myself with walking sticks, which is quite boring), so I didn't laugh with article.
By the way, of course I knew where the Azores islands are, because, as I think I've already told, I'm Portuguese, and those islands were discovered by the Portuguese onthe 15th century and they still belong to Portugal.
"see" you in a better mood.

Maria Sarmento

[Dia_Nad]

Dear Torsten,
To have the sense of humour means to be a spontaneous person and what you say makes the others laugh and feel good. That’s why, generally, people like to be in the company of such kind of persons. The good humour is not a way only to feel comfortable but also to overcome the different embarrassment feelings and the difficulties of the life. Our forum is a place where we can learn English language and have a bit of a laugh as well, owing to many smart and spiritual people learners and coaches and especially to Mr. Alan’s essays. All of them I’d like to thank for that.
Diana

[Pdarlyn1]

hi everybody,
it's very difficult to tell how humourous i am but i can tell you in a few words that i like joking ,specially with my classmates and others siblings.
as for me i think that in a classroom the teacher must use a kind of humor in order to better facilitate the communication between him and his students.i can assure you by using this strategy the students get out a lot from the ongoing lesson.

[Sahid59]

..

"Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility.''

- James Thurber

Laughter the physiological experience.

...
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Sahid59

Better tomorrow with better English

[Ellea]

Laughing helps to release tensions. In my opinion, we learn better and faster when we are relaxed. Besides, learning by having fun is more agreeable. I learnt how to laugh at myself and my own mistakes, therefore I feel more confident and nothing stops me to practise and thus improve. Life is "too short" to worry oneself with insignificant things. Let's have fun instead!!!
Cheers!!

[Prezbucky]

Word up!

Okay:

This guy goes to his psychiatrist's office, wearing nothing but Saran-Wrap (cellophane) underwear.

The doctor walks in and says,

"I can clearly see you're nuts."

The JOKE is that he is also saying (or could be saying, since it sounds the same) "I can clearly see your nuts."
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Kitosdad]

What would you rather be, or a wasp?
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If you need me, I'm here.

[Bilgisener]

I think, if you are teaching somethings to your students or other people, first you should try to find the ways of teaching them with humour. And if you want to teach something, don't take everything very very seriously because sometimes it may make the teacher's job hard. The same thing is true for the students, too.
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Şener Bilgi