Are you good at telling jokes? Do you like listening or telling jokes? How do you know what jokes are proper to say to your friends?
Vocabulary
Due to (phrase) - because of; owing to.
To make light of (phrase) - to act as if something is not serious, esp. when it is serious.
To bam off (slang) - to show off.
To crack a joke (phrase) - to tell a joke.
To lose the plot (phrase) - to no longer be able to act normally or understand what is happening.
Anecdote (noun) - a short, often funny story, especially about something someone has done.
Tolerant (adj.) - willing to accept behavior and beliefs that are different from your own, although you might not agree with or approve of them.
Pitch-black (adj.) - completely black.
To push the envelope (idiom) - to behave in more extreme ways, or to try new things that have not been acceptable or tried before.
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Questions and answers
Maria: Are you good at telling jokes?
Rory: Allegedly. I think I can make people laugh, but I'm not sure if that's due to my jokes or if it's just my ability to make light of very serious or quite dark situations. The other thing is, maybe it's just because I'm usually the most... This is going to sound like I'm bamming off a little bit, but usually I'm the most influential or powerful person in the room and maybe people are just laughing to make me happy. So it's really difficult to tell sometimes.
Maria: Do you like listening or telling jokes?
Rory: Actually, both in equal measure. It's fun being the center of attention when you crack a good joke and you make everybody lose the plot around you. But I also like listening to what other people have to say. I never used to, but I'm actually getting better at it and is a lot less demanding than being the center of attention.
Maria: Do your friends like to tell jokes?
Rory: Well, I think they prefer funny anecdotes like I do, but they're one and the same as far as I'm concerned. But yes, they like to tell jokes. They like to make people laugh.
Maria: How do you know what jokes are proper to say to your friends?
Rory: Oh, I'm very lucky. I've got very tolerant friends with similarly dark senses of humor, like mines. Almost pitch black. So I can push the envelope a great deal before anyone thinks things are inappropriate or disrespectful.
Maria: Do you like to watch comedies?
Rory: Oh, I love them. I think they're my third favorite genre in terms of media. And I like all the sub-genres too, from like romcoms to sitcoms. So, yeah, it's a really cool thing to watch them.
Maria: Are there comedy shows in your country?
Rory: Well, maybe not so much these days, owing to the crisis, but there used to be quite frequently, especially at the Fringe Festival. To be honest with you, I don't think I've ever seen a bad comedian actually. They're always very engaging and entertaining, and they're really good at cracking people up.
Maria: Have you ever watched a live comedy show?
Rory: Yeah, I've watched several, actually. And actually, I participated in one, but perhaps that's a story for another time. So definitely! And it's something I would encourage the everybody to do if they get the chance. I think you can maybe watch them on live stream is actually.
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Classess with Rory
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