Group items tagged

A brief history of puns and reasons why they shouldn't be seen as the lowest form of humor. Puns are actually very complex and allow people to convey messages with fewer words. There are so many ideas to convey, but a limited number of sounds to describe them. Punning is inevitable.

"The Harry Potter books," writes Jessy Randall in this essay from VERBATIM, "are not just good literature but a treasury of wordplay and invention," and we couldn't agree more.

To pun or not to pun, that is the question. Are puns the lowest form of wordplay, or an ancient art form embraced by the likes of Jesus and Shakespeare? Roman orators Cicero and Quintilian believed that "paronomasia", the Greek term for punning, was a sign of intellectual suppleness and rhetorical skill. Although often seen as annoying by detractors, puns may impart shades of meaning in an economical fashion, perhaps, or render lessons and concepts more vivid and memorable to listeners.

This article talks about: -Eminem -his rhyme schemes -how his rhyme schemes compare to historical rhyme schemes (ie. Shakespeare) -his rapping speed -his word puns and wordplay