1. Comedy Devices

2. Disclaimer: These devices do not appear in comedy alone. They appear in many types of other literary works, but they are heavily employed in comedies.

3. Physical Comedy and Mishaps Falling down, running into things No language is needed 3 Stooges

4. Name-calling, mispronunciations, malpropisms Verbal errors or simple humor tactics Malpropisms—misused words

5. Hyperbole and Understatement Hyperbole: an exaggeration More than what it is “my head is killing me” Understatement: less than what it is Putting Neosporin on a broken leg

6. Irony Dramatic irony: when the audience knows what is going on but the characters do not Horror movies Situational irony: when the actual outcome is opposite of the expected one Fire station burning down Verbal irony: when one person says one thing but means another “Lucky me” when you step in mud Sarcasm: a cutting unkind remark mean to show disapproval “Way to go, Einstein”

7. Puns Play on words based on words with multiple meanings “I’m feeling hoarse today. I think I have a colt.”

8. Parody Imitation of a work that has already been made Weird Al

9. Satire Comedy of ideas Highlights a personal, social, or political issue meant to correct Saturday Night Live