Different types of jokes have different structure. The stand-up comic tells jokes that are brief and to the point. Often they only have two or three lines, commonly called the set-up and the punch line. The set up is what makes the audience think the way you want them to think, while the punch line provides the twist or surprise ending, contrasting to what was used in the set-up.

These jokes work because they deliberately change the meaning of the set-up to be something quite different than what was expected. The set-up should take something like 20 or 30 seconds to deliver, while the punch line should be even less. Often the punch line can have one major word in it upon which the whole sentence hangs, so in this case it should come last.

The elements of the joke must be told in their proper order for it to be funny. In longer jokes, there can be an introduction to set the scene, thus: – Three men walked into a bar… A man goes to the doctor…. etc.

The set-up then follows this, with all the facts done in logical order, e.g.: –

1. A man goes to a doctor. He says,” (states the problem).
2. The doctor says, ” (states the answer to the problem).
3. The man queries, ‘(Will this help…?).”
4. The doctor answers, ‘(The punch line).

The introduction is important in its role of creating trust with the audience. It usually starts off by saying something that is quite normal. It could happen. Three men often do walk into a bar; a man goes to the doctor – normal stuff. It should be fairly short because you don’t want the audience to forget what you were saying by the time you get to the punch line.

The set up should expand the introduction and tell what happened next. This can be a bit longer, but not too long. Being brief is good; don’t waffle on about unrelated things. So if we have the man going to the doctor we want to know why right away. The color of his shirt doesn’t matter.

The punch line is, of course, the most important part of the joke, but on its own it wouldn’t be much. It’s only when you work the two together that the audience will laugh – and actually they are laughing at themselves in a way because it was what they believed in the set-up stage that tricked them into laughing at the punch line.

A good joke can be told, but comedians often act jokes out, so watch for this in funny shows. Often they are simply setting the stage for a joke. Once you know what to watch for, you’ll recognize the intro, set-up and punch line – all acted out.

Author Bio: Learn all about screenwriting today. Visit Brian’s website, http://www.ScreenwritingBasics.com prescription cialis generic and learn about writing comedy and writing screenplays.

Category: Writing
Keywords: screenwriting, screenplay, comedy writing, film writing, humor writing, freelance writing