英语中的幽默：句法、语义、语音双关

例句：

--"Do you ever draw picture in the nude?"

--"No, I usually wear a jacket."

对话中，提问的人是想问“你有没有画过裸体画”，而回答的人却理解为“你曾经光着身子画过画吗？”这则幽默中双关产生的原因是对in the nude在句中不同功能的理解，即作定语或作状语。

2. 语义双关

语义双关例一：一个男孩子为了追求一个在银行窗口工作的女孩子，便在递交存折的同时附上了一张小纸条。

"Dear M:

I have been SAVING this question in the hope that I might gain some INTETRST. If free Friday, would you care to DEPOST yourself beside me at a movie? I have taken into ACCOUNT that you maybe previously engaged; if so I will WITHDRAW my offer and hipe Saturday. At any RATE, your company would much enjoy, and I hope you will not ASSESS this as too forward. Check you late.

Sincerely B."

如此有创意的求爱方式，女孩子能不为之心动么。男孩子巧妙运用银行术语（deposit, withdraw, account, assess, check）与日常环境的不同意思，以独特的方式表达了自己的爱慕之情。

3. 语义双关例二：英语(论坛)习惯用语生动形象，用在一定的语境中，可以产生一语双关的效果。

--What weather does mice most dislike?

--When it is raining cats and dogs.

"Cats and dogs"是倾盆大雨的意思。这则幽默取其字面意思，猫狗都从天上掉下来了，老鼠自然不喜欢了。

4. 语音双关例一：The things my wife buy at auctions are keeping me baroque.

这是一位男士利用baroque（形式怪样的）与broke（破产）的相近读音来表达对妻子花钱大手大脚的不满。

5. 语音双关例二：Six year old Linda returned impressed from her school first day at school. Asked how she got on, she replied:" Every morning, we all have to sit at our desk and when the teacher calls our names, we have to answer 'prisoner' !"

当老师点名时，学生应该回答"present"。而Linda利用"prisoner"与"present"的相近读音，表达了对学校生活的不满。

6. 语音双关例三：--"You're not eating your fish," the waitress asked him, "Anything wrong with it?"

--"Long time no sea," the customer replied.

"Long time no sea"鱼久不见海，肯定不新鲜。而"Long time no see"是朋友见面时所用的寒暄语，相当于老朋友久别重逢时说的“好久不见”。Sea与see是同音异形异义词，这位顾客巧妙地运用这一点，指出了鱼不好吃，不新鲜。