WORD PLAY JOKES GAME

As a fan of Doctor Who, I listened to an interview with David Tennant and Katherine Tate, when they explained this game that they play, called “I’ve gone into business”. Credit where credit is due, it’s not my idea, but it now gets played at all our parties, and would be great for in a classroom.

The idea is to make up jokes based on language play, specifically using puns (words or phrases with two meanings) Here are some we made up:

I’ve gone into business………Oh, doing what?……….Selling knicker elastic……And how’s business?

IT’S A BIT SLACK

I’ve gone into business………Oh, doing what?……….Making elevators…………And how’s it going?

IT’S UP AND DOWN

I’ve gone into business………Oh, doing what?……….Recycling………………And how’s business?

IT’S RUBBISH

I’ve gone into business………Oh, doing what?……….Making rockets…………And how’s business?

IT’S REALLY TAKING OFF

I’ve gone into business………Oh, doing what?……….Making loud speakers …..And how’s it going?

BUSINESS IS BOOMING

I’ve gone into business………Oh, doing what?……….Making underwear……….And how’s that going?

NOT SO WELL; THE BOTTOMS DROPPED OUT OF THE MARKET

I’ve gone into business………Oh, doing what?……….Selling crystal balls…….And how’s that going?

IT’S GOING BETTER THAN I COULD HAVE FORESEEN

The easiest way to play the game is to think of the punch-line phrase and then fit the business to it according to its double meaning. Try brainstorming lots of different ways of saying things are going well, things are going badly, things are improving, or getting worse etc. ie, on rocky ground, a bit shaky, it stinks, it’s flying, we’re making an impression, it’s shocking, it’s looking up, I’ve come a long way, still rehearsing (undertaker’s maybe?) etc. Do this as a class, and then work in pairs to come up with a matching business. Come back together as a class again to share the resulting jokes.