You’re speaking and your audience laughs unexpectedly. Not trying to be a comedian, you say, “What did I say that was funny?” They know. You don’t.
Words that make perfectly good sense to the writer can turn out to be funny when read by others, so we must be careful.
You’ve probably had a chuckle when you saw a headline like these. At least it wasn’t your writing.
- 15 Pit Bulls Rescued; 2 Arrested
- Army Vehicle Disappears. An Australian Army vehicle worth $74,000 has gone missing after being painted with camouflage.
- Bugs Flying Around with Wings Are Flying Bugs
- Cemetery Residents Making a Comeback
- City Council Runs Out of Time to Discuss Shorter Meetings
- City Unsure Why the Sewer Smells
- Diana Was Still Alive Hours Before She Died
- Ex-Minister Breaks Silence, Says Nothing
- Federal Agents Raid Gun Shop, Find Weapons
- Fish Need Water, Feds Say
- Homicide Victims Rarely Talk to Police
- Illiteracy an Obstacle, Study Finds
- Man Accused of Killing Lawyer Receives a New Attorney
- Man Executed After Long Speech
- Marijuana Issue Sent to a Joint Committee
- Meeting on Open Meetings Is Closed
- Parents Keep Kids Home to Protest School Closure
- Planes Forced to Land at Airports
- Slowdown Continues to Accelerate
- Statistics Show that Teen Pregnancy Drops Off Significantly After Age 25
- Students Cook & Serve Grandparents
- Tight End Returns After Colon Surgery
- Volunteers Needed to Help Torture Survivors
- Woman Missing Since She Got Lost
