When we were in Boy Scout camp, an older gentleman told us a joke that he had heard at a campfire. He told us the mark, “If the log rolls over, we will die.” The trick was so popular that he retold it many times. It was the perfect example of good retelling. We’ve all heard it, and it’s probably the most well-known joke ever told.
Structure
When the log rolls over, we will die joke refers to a journey taken by an ant to find a way back to civilization. The ant is speaking to two other players, one of which is the host, about their experiences. The log rolls over, and the couple is left stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a pasture and woods. The couple decides to stay and play a game of Patience.
An older gentleman told a joke at a Boy Scout campfire.
An old man once told a joke at a Boy Scout campfire: “A long time ago, I was a scout, and we had a gimme cap. The scouts’ first names were embroidered on the cap. George, Andy, Scott, Phil, Lanny, David, and John. The scoutmaster was named Ronnie Kuebodeaux, and the boys often referred to him as Mr. Ronnie.”
There are times when your joke ruins the conversation. When you make someone laugh with your mark, you know it was amazing and hilarious, but when you realize that the trick wasted the conversation, you may be left wondering what to say next. Here are some tips for making your joke work in exchanges:
- Change the subject matter and persona.
- Change the word “whatever” to make it more humorous.
- Use your humor to turn the situation into a funny opportunity.
Putting the funny part at the end of a sentence
You’ve probably seen your friend teeter on the edge of a joke, or worse, have the same reaction. The most common cause of ruined conversations is putting the funny part at the end of the sentence. The problem is that people are not always aware that a tag like “he said” will smother the joke, so they step on it. The trigger must be at the end of the sentence to have a successful track.