Happy Halloween!

Today’s lesson will be full of FUN & FRIGHT. You’ll learn some vocabulary, idioms, and have some fun with puns. What is a pun? A pun is a joke using the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings [or are spelled differently]. You’ll also have a quick history lesson about Halloween, with some listening comprehension!

Let’s take a look at the picture gallery, the descriptions of the pictures & jokes go from top left to right:

1. to fly off the handle [idiom]: lose one’s temper suddenly and unexpectedly.

2. this is a word pun:           Ghosts say “BOOO” [plural: Boos]            ||        In a bar, people drink BOOZE :   Booze [informal noun]: alcohol

3. this is a pun[play on words] with the verb SERVE.  The restaurant serves (gives service) to children, while the witch wants to be served children(given children as food).

• one meaning is to present food or drink.  So “to serve children” would be to serve the children AS the food.
• another meaning is to provide a service to someone. So “to serve children” would be that a service is provided to children.

4. Another play with words joke! A  DAYCARE center is where children are cared for, and if you add an ‘s’ it becomes SCARE….which is a common Halloween related word. DAYSCARE  🙂 get it?

5. to be scared shitless [informal idiom]: to be extremely frightened.  Similar to the word “shit” is “sheet”  Sheets are commonly represented as a ghost’s attire, so the jokes plays on the similarity of the words shit/sheet.

6. So many PUNS! In this therapy group, common Halloween characters express their “issues”

• bites [adjective]: is really bad.   ~~ The vampire’s love life “bites” is really bad. He bites people for blood.
• the ghost is dead, and a different person….or a different soul. He is not happy with who he has “become.”
• hollow: to be empty.    ~~The jack o’ lantern is hollow inside (all of his insides were taken out to be carved!). He also is sad and feels “empty,” a common emotional problem.
• curse: to put a spell.    ~~ This witch has bad luck, and curses things. However, witches are cast spells and do these things to people too!
• to feel alive: to be happy and fulfilled in life.    ~~ This zombie is dead, so he is not alive. In the therapy group, he could also be expressing his emotional issue, of not being happy.
• disconnected: not together, lacking contact with reality.    ~~ Because he doesn’t have a head, he’s not connected to his body. Emotionally, the pun, says he is also not connecting with reality.

HAHA! I hope you enjoyed these jokes as much as I did….and I hope you learned a lot too!

Which was your favorite?

Videos and Listening!

Now, take a look at this Halloween video from the History channel. You can learn about its history, how it arrived in America, and common traditions associated with this scary holiday.

To take it to the next step, practice listening comprehension with questions on ESLvideo.com (link here: http://www.eslvideo.com/esl_video_quiz_high_intermediate.php?id=9377)

Extra spooky stuff!

Check out some of these websites for even more Halloween fun and information:

The Wittiest Halloween Jokes:  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201110/the-wittiest-halloween-jokes-riddles-and-puns

Fun Vocabulary related to Halloween

Creepy Urban Legends!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MJqqU8XcGE