IELTS Speaking Part 1, 2 and 3 – Talking about Jokes
IELTS Speaking Section Part 1 – Talking about Familiar Topics
Laughter
Do you laugh a lot as a person?
Yes, I do. Sometimes, I can laugh so hard remembering old jokes that I heard in the past, because something happens and reminds me of that joke.
What sort of things that usually make you laugh?
All sort of things, from online memes to stand up comedy. From a clean comedy to dark jokes. Sometimes, I don’t even understand certain joke due to the lack of context, but I still can laugh seeing the facial expression of the people who tell that jokes.
Do you like to tell jokes?
Yes, I do, very much. I am always seen as a funny guy. Those who are close to me are generally a funny person too. I remember hanging out with my friends one time, telling a joke about mad dog for five hours straight. One of my friends started that stupid joke, and I replied with the same stupid joke. It went on and on and we couldn’t stop laughing. People actually came to us asking if we were okay, knowing that we almost died laughing.
Are you a funny person?
Yes, I am. People who know me for the first time often think that I don’t have a sense of humor whatsoever. People tend to judge me by appearance, telling me that I look like a very serious guy. But once they get to know me better, they will know that I’m actually a witty guy.
What is the funniest thing that you have ever seen/heard?
One of the funniest jokes that I have ever seen is the Chuck Norris memes. We can find these memes all over the internet. Basically, it is just a picture of Chuck Norris with funny sentences like, Chuck Norris never pays his bills, the bill is paying him, or Chuck Norris never dials the wrong number, you just pick up the wrong call. I often see those memes here and there and I still laugh every time I see it.
Are there any jokes that you personally dislike?
Of course there is. I don’t really like offensive jokes. There’s a clear difference between telling a joke and harassing people, so we always have to draw a line somewhere. Recently, there are a lot of people who use jokes as an excuse to hurt someone’s feeling. They claim that the jokes are intended for social critics, and that they are exercising their right to speak. One thing that these people seem to neglect is the fact that just because you have a right to speak, doesn’t mean that you can talk trash to other people.
Satirical jokes are also a good way of criticizing absurd behavior, or absurd policy taken by the government. But I really don’t like it when people are talking nonsense and being edgy. They seem to look for things to be criticized, but don’t do any research to substantiate their claim, which eventually makes their jokes sound dumb.
IELTS Speaking Section Part 2 – Self-Presentation
Comedy Show
Describe a funny TV show that you like to watch
You should say:
What show is it?
What is it about?
Why do you like watching the show?
Why do you think it’s funny?
What show is it?
One of the funniest shows that I like is a sitcom called The Big Bang Theory. The sitcom was first aired on CBS in 2007, and went on until its last season.
What is it about?
It is the story of Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, two scientists who live in the same apartment. They meet a girl named Penny, who also lives in that apartment. She is an aspiring actress who is trying to start her acting career, but fails. Sheldon and Leonard make friends with her, and this is where the story begins.
Why do you like watching the show?
I like watching the show because it’s very entertaining, and to certain extent, educative. The sitcom uses scientific facts to support the roles, and even has a science consultant to help with the ‘scientific element’ of the show. Some episodes featured a real scientist like Stephen Hawking, and entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Elon Musk, which makes it even more impressive.
Why do you think it’s funny?
It is funny when two nerdy scientists try to interact with a cool girl across the hall, having no idea of how to impress her. Penny, the girl who lives across the hall, often finds it hard to understand her geeky neighbors. She tries to comprehend why they like doing nerdy stuff. The story becomes even funnier when the two other characters, Raj and Howard, are introduced.
IELTS Speaking Section Part 3 – Discussion
Sense of Humor
Is it important to have a good sense of humor?
Of course it is. Laughing can really be a stress reliever. We will easily be stressed out if we always take ourselves too seriously, especially during a difficult time when people keep talking about global pandemic, economic downfall, political turmoil, social unrest, and things like that. We have to be able to laugh at ourselves, laughing at the dumb things that we do as a person, whether intentional or not.
What kind of jokes that people in your country like to hear?
It’s difficult to describe people’s preference to comedy, since comedy is very universal and people’s preference seems to change over time. In the past, people in my country liked slapstick comedy, but now there are more genres of humor performed by comedians. The only genre that I rarely see here in my country is the one-line comedy, like that of Mitch Hedberg.
How difficult is it to understand a humor in a foreign language?
Not that difficult, I suppose. I like watching foreign comedy shows like The Simpsons or Rick Morty although English is not my first language. I also like watching stand up comedians like Bill Burr, Jimmy O Yang, and Kevin Hart, and I can understand them just fine. In my case though, I don’t think language becomes a barrier to understand a joke. The only problem will probably be the context or knowledge required to understand certain joke. For example, George Carlin often comments on political, social, and cultural issues in his stand up, and not all people are familiar with these topics.
Is it common for people in your country to laugh very loudly in public?
It’s an okay thing in here, although it is sometimes considered as a nuisance if you do it in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Once I was hanging out in the local coffee shop and joking with my friends, being extremely loud most of the time. It was okay for us to do that because people there were basically chill. It would be a different story if we do that in places where people have to be quiet.
Is it okay for us to make fun of other people?
It would depend on who the person is and how they respond to the joke. In my friendship circle, guys are pretty chill and we make fun of each other a lot. But I never tell the same jokes outside the circle because I know they can be too harsh to some people. Making fun of people is fine as long as they also think it’s funny and they laugh with us. If we make a joke about someone and it’s only us who’s laughing, then something may have gone wrong.
What do you think of offensive jokes?
As far as I know, it’s okay only for a small number of people. In my country, I only know two comedians telling this kind of joke. Some people actually find their dark jokes quite funny, but many others give a negative response. I often have to restrain myself from laughing uncontrollably every time someone tells a dark joke, although the joke is actually funny.
