UNIT-VII

Humour

Working with words

A. The following words are synonyms and antonyms of the verb ‘laugh’. Group them into synonyms and antonyms.

chuckle    chortle    grimace    crackle    frown    pout    snicker    scowl    smile    cry    groan    moan       sniggle     giggle        grin          sob         smirk       whoop

Synonyms	Antonyms
Chuckle	Sob
Chortle	Cry
Crackle	Grimace
Giggle	Frown
Grin	Scowl
Smile	Pout
Smirk	Groan
Snicker	Moan
Sniggle	Whoop

B. Match the following emotions with their definitions.

a.   fear                  i.          a feeling of strong disapproval aroused by something unpleasant

b.   anger               ii.         affected with grief or unhappiness

c.   surprise           iii.        a pleasurable or satisfying experience

d.   Disgust            iv.        a great victory or achievement

e.   sadness            v.         a strong feeling of displeasure

f.    happiness        vi.        an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm

g.   relief               vii.       the quality or state of being satisfied

h.   triumph           viii.      removal or lightening of something oppressive, painful, or distressing

i.    contentment    ix.        an unexpected event, fact, etc.

Answer:

a          -           vi

b          -           v

c          -           ix

d          -           i

e          -           ii

f           -           iii

g          -           viii

h          -           iv

i           -           vii

C.  The author writes, “. . . the contagious nature of laughter means that waves of mirth can catch on more easily when there are more people.” Find out the situations in which the following types of laughter are found.

a. etiquette laughter                      b. snorting laughter                 c. stress-relieving laughter

d. silent laughter                           e. nervous laughter                 f. cruel laughter

a. Etiquette laughter:

People make use of etiquette laughter to get along with others. Sometimes, you might have noticed that we tend to laugh at things that are just not funny. At times, you may feel that you sound like a fool, but you did just fine to get along. This type of laughter is commonly observed as the employee's response to his boss’s uninteresting tale.

b. Snorting laughter:

When something makes you laugh, even if you're not consciously attempting to learn the art of quiet laughing, chances of this happening are you'll laugh aloud. When you laugh with snorting laughter, you either exhale air or inhale it via your nose. There's nothing wrong with this, but you might want to take little sips in when your friends want to entertain you with a fresh joke.

c. Stress-relieving laughter:

This sort of laughter is found when one laughs for relieving stress.

d. Silent laughter:

It is a kind of laughter. When we are in an office, we laugh silently supressing outburst of laughter in order not to provoke others.

e. Nervous laughter:

Nervous laughter is often considered fake laughter and we frequently laugh when we are nervous in an unconscious effort to relax down and lessen tension. Laughing, even nervously, can help ease some of that stress.

f. Cruel laughter:

The definition of cruel laughter is laughing at the misfortune of another person. For example, when you see your friend falling of a ladder, you laugh. 

D.  A unit of pronunciation at least with one vowel is called a syllable. Listen to your teacher saying the words and say the number of syllables.

charge, duty, laughter, commission, undertaking, responsibility, hilarity, persistent,    infectious, ephemeral

Charge:                             One syllable

Duty:                                 Two syllable

Laughter:                         Two syllable

Commission:                    Three syllable

Undertaking:                   Four syllable

Responsibility:                 Six syllable

Hilarity:                           Four syllable

Persistent:                        Three syllable

Infectious:                        Three syllable

Ephemeral:                      Four syllable

Comprehension

A.    Complete the following sentences with words/ phrases from the text.

a.     According to Sophie Scott, laughter is one of the important and misunderstood behaviours.

b.     After her study in Namibia, Scott came to the realization that laughter is one of our richest vocal tics.

c.     Studies have shown that there are six universal emotions across cultures-fear, anger, surprise, disgust, sadness, happiness based on facial expressions.

d.     Scott found out that most of the laughs have nothing to do with humour.

e.     The couples who laugh at each other are likely to stay together for longer.

f.      The primary way of communication of grown-up people is laughter.

g.     Comedians usually find it easier to work in larger places due to contagious nature of laughter.

B. Answer the following questions.

a.   Why do people giggle at someone’s pain or suffering?

People laugh when they see someone in pain or suffering because it triggers the release of endorphins, which strengthen social relationships. Additionally, according to Scott, laughing might help people feel better.

b.   What did Scott’s study in Namibia come up with?

Scott’s study in Namibia came up with the finding that laughter is one of our richest vocal tics.

c.   How is laughter a social bonding?

When we laugh with someone, it signifies that we are with them, like them, agree with them, or belong to the same social group. Whether something is genuinely hilarious, it unites people and fosters relationships.

d.   According to the author, what role does laughter play in husband-wife relationship?

Laughter, according to the author, is very essential in the husband-wife relationship as it might be the primary way of maintaining relationships. For instance, research shows that couples who laugh with each other find it much easier to drive away tension after a stressful event—and overall, they are likely to stay together for longer.

e.   How does laughter work as a painkiller?

When one laughs, endorphins—chemicals—are released, helping to relieve one from pain or stress. Therefore, laughter works as a painkiller.

f.    What did the study find about the relation between laughter and brain?

The study found that different forms of laughter have different effects on the brain. The mirror parts of the brain, which tend to imitate other people's behavior, appear to be pleased or tickled by involuntary and less genuine laughter. OR

According to the study, there is a strong connection between laughing and the brain since all kinds of laughter cause the brain to react. The parts of the brain that are inclined to imitate other people's behaviour are activated when one laughs.

g.   What are two emotions that the author associates with infants and adults?

The two emotions that the author associates with infants and adults are crying and laughter respectively. She points out that crying is an infant’s primary way of communicating, whereas laughter gains more importance the older we get.

h.   How does a stand-up comedian take the audience’s laughter?

A stand-up comedian takes the audience’s laughter as an interaction, as if he were conversing with them.

i.    Show the relation between laughter and crowd.

In a crowd, laughter generally spreads quickly. Therefore, comedians often find it easier to work in large places due to the contagious nature of laughter. When there are more people around, waves of laughter spread more quickly.

j.    What does the author mean when he says, “there is always a meaning to it.”

When the author says, "There is always a meaning to it," she is referring to the fact that laughter, although appearing unimportant, temporary, and worthless, indicates social ties, emotional support, a method to relieve pain and stress, etc.

Critical Thinking

a)  Do you agree that ‘the couples, who laugh together, stay together?’ Is it important for married couples to have the same sense of humour? Why?

People argue that couples who laugh together are likely to stay together for longer. I believe it is true that when a couple laughs together, they stay together for a longer period of time because laughing together may indicate that they resonate and make them feel close. The findings of some studies also support the idea that couples who laugh with each other find it much easier to drive away tension after a stressful event. As a result, they may live and stay for a longer period of time. However, having the same sense of humor is not always necessary for married couples because laughter has nothing to do with humour. It has more to do with building social bonds, a way of relieving pain, etc.

b)    Some people believe that sometimes crying is good for health. Do you believe it? Give your reasons.

People argue that crying is beneficial for our health at times. I believe crying is sometimes useful to control our emotions like sadness, sorrow, grief, anger, etc. For example, when we feel sorrow over someone’s death, we cry, helping us release the pain and relieving us from it to some extent. In addition, when we are injured physically, crying is helpful in reducing pain. There are a number of examples of people crying when they are angry because it is useful in expressing anger and is advantageous in its reduction. 

Writing

a)  Write a paragraph narrating an event from your life when you were involved in contagious laughter.

Research shows that most people's primary sources of laughter are typically not jokes or funny movies, but rather other people. For instance, we often join in when we see others laughing. This shows that we are supporting them. At some point in our lives, we have all experienced contagious laughter. A time in my life when I was involved in a short burst of contagious laughter is described below.

One day, a group of us decided to go for a two-day trip to Bethanchowk, in the south-east part of Kathmandu. On that particular day, there were nine of us traveling to our destination. While we were going up the hill, two of the group members all of a sudden started laughing, but the rest of the members actually had no idea why they laughed. The way they laughed made us laugh. It means that the laughter from the two spreads to the rest of the members, who started laughing without reason. When we discovered why the two had laughed, we all burst out laughing. 

b) Write a description of your favourite comedian explaining his/her personality, acting, performance and uniqueness.

There are many comedians in the Nepali comedy field. Manoj Gajurel is a well-known Nepali comedian and one of my personal favorites.

He was born to Bhawani Prasad Gajurel and Indramaya Gajurel in 1974 in Khebang, Taplejung, Nepal. He is a well-spoken person. He has a great sense of humor, which fascinates most of us. His acting skills and mimicry are fabulous. His mimicry of political leaders such as Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Narendra Modi, and Donald Trump is much appreciated. He also did the mimicry of Gyanendra Shah that people like the most. He has performed a lot of stage shows in various parts of the world. His performances are unique and are always highly demanded.

Grammar

Adverbs

A.    Study the following sentences from the text. The words in bold are called 'frequency adverbs'.

a.     Belly laughs never come through the nose.

b.     There is always a meaning to it.

c.     She found that the less authentic tones are often more nasal.

d.     Scott occasionally takes up the microphone herself at comedy nights in London.

e.     She tells me about an acquaintance who had frequently irritated her with a persistent, fluting, laugh.

B.    Put the frequency adverbs in appropriate place and rewrite the following sentences.

a.     I forget to do my homework. (sometimes)

I sometimes forget to do my homework.

Sometimes I forget to do my homework.

b.     My father has touched an alcoholic drink in his life. (never)

My father has never touched an alcoholic drink in his life.

c.     My father goes for a walk on Saturdays. (often)

My father often goes for a walk on Saturdays.

d.     We go to the movie theatre. (occasionally)

We occasionally go to the movie theatre.

e.     My brother is in America. He telephones us. (from time to time)

My brother is in America. He telephones us from time to time.

f.      My mother gets up at five o’clock. (always)

My mother always gets up at five o’ clock.

g.     He does not like alcoholic drinks but takes some wine. (now and then)

He does not like alcoholic drinks but takes some wine now and then.

h.     I drink my tea with milk. (generally)

I generally drink my tea with milk.

i.      Have you been to Agra? (ever)

Have you ever been to Agra?

j.      The restaurant hours vary as it is booked for special events. (frequently)

The restaurant hours frequently vary as it is booked for special events.