about humor

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tien-sung

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Oct 27, 2007
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Taiwan
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I live in Taiwan ,I speak Chinese,I go to English Bible study every week ,there is an church joke ,all my classmates feel the joke very funny ,but I don't know where is the humor in the followed joke could you anybody tell me where the humor is:

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is hell?” Come early and listen to our choir practice

 

Heterological

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Jun 25, 2010
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English Teacher
The joke is that if you come early to listen to the choir practice, you will learn what Hell is; that is to say, the choir is really awful!
 

Ouisch

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Mar 27, 2006
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English Teacher
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The humor is in the awkward placement of the choir-listening invitation. It makes it sound as though sittting through choir practice will be hell (in this case, the definition of hell being "unbearably painful, unendurable").

An example of a similar joke, based on the accidental pairing up two completely different things, is a sign posted on the church bulletin board: "Potluck supper Thursday at 6:00. Prayer immediately after." What the message means to say is that there will be a prayer meeting in the church after the potluck supper finishes and everything is cleaned up. But it makes it sound as if the food served at the supper will be of questionable quality, so folks are welcome to come pray for their health ("Lord, spare me from food poisoning!") afterward.
 
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