English Conversation Club
Topic: ‘Jokes, Pranks & Humour’
(Introduce yourselves as necessary. Also remember that you don’t have to limit yourselves to these questions, more conversation and interaction is better!)
April 1st is “April Fools’ Day”. What do you know about that tradition? Were you involved in any jokes that day?
Did you see any of the internet pranks by Google or YouTube etc? What did you think of them?
Do you have ‘April Fools’ Day’ in your home country? Or do you have some other special days for telling funny stories or doing practical jokes?
What are some good practical jokes you have done, or had done to you? Or what is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?
Do you like looking at funny things from the internet (eg from email, Facebook, YouTube, etc)? Do you like sharing them with others?
Do you have a favourite comedy TV show or movie? What is it about, and what do you like about it?
What do you do if someone starts telling you a joke which you already know or you don’t think is funny?
What if it is the other way around and you are telling the joke?
Are there times or situations when joking is not good?
Some kinds of jokes are offensive to people. In your culture, what kinds of things are too offensive to joke about?
What do you do if someone starts telling a joke that might be offensive?
Are you any good at telling jokes? If not, what usually goes wrong?
Share a joke or funny story that you know. (Only clean ones please!)
Do you know anyone who is especially good at telling jokes? What makes them good? Is it the way they tell them, or just that the story is funny?
What do you think makes a good funny story?
Are there any particular topics that are often used for jokes in your country? (eg mother-in-laws, people from certain places, etc)
What have you noticed about Australian humour during your time here?
It has been said that jokes are usually the hardest thing to translate to another language. What has been your experience with this?