For hundreds of years, medical experts have agreed that “Laughter is the best Medicine”. When you feel blue, there is nothing like a good joke to make you feel on top of the world again.   When we are happy, our physical and psychological conditions improve dramatically.  Many people also agree that having a sense of humour can come in handy when you are frustrated or disappointed.  If someone has a sense of humour, it means that he/she is able to appreciate a good joke or a funny situation.   It is important to mention that laughter is not the same as humour.   Laughter is our body’s physiological response to humour. 

Why is laughter so good for us?   Laughter lowers our blood pressure; and as a result, decreases the level of stress in our lives.    Laughter increases the number of “T-cells” in our immune system; consequently, our body is able to fight disease and infection.  Laughter is also beneficial for our physical well-being.   When we laugh, the muscles in our diaphragm and abdomen get a real workout.   That is the reason that many people feel exhausted after laughing at a funny joke, or after watching a sitcom on television.  

So what makes something funny?   Humour is generally created by one of the following conditions:  

·         something unexpected happens

·         someone says something unexpected

·         something terrible happens to someone

·         something embarrassing happens to someone else

·         someone does something silly

·         a visual  juxtaposition

 

Laughter can result from something we hear or from something we see.  You can giggle at a joke you hear at work or school; or laugh when you see a funny comic strip in the newspaper.  Although humour has many benefits, it is something that should be used only in an appropriate manner or context.   Jokes that are insulting to a specific culture, gender, or religion are considered rude and insulting.   So next time you’re in a bad mood, why not take a dose of laughter!

Instructions:  Select one response for each question. top

1.  Laughter is:  (a) the same as humour   (b) something that makes you feel blue  (c)  beneficial for our body and mind   (d)  insulting to doctors.

 

2.  Something is considered funny if:  (a) something unusual occurs   (b)  someone does something silly

(c) something terrible happens to you   (d)  two of the answers are correct   (e)  none of the answers is correct

(f)  all of the answers are correct

 

3.  A joke that is insulting to women is considered inappropriate because it:  (a) makes them giggle  (b)  insults their gender   (c)  insults their profession   (d)  none of the above 

 

4.  An antonym for the idiom feeling blue is:   (a)  feeling depressed   (b)  confused   (c)  ecstatic  (d) feeling down

 

5.    What is the main message of this text?   In your own words, write a 3 or 4 sentence summary of the passage.

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" Writing Exercise:   top

   Punctuation Can Make All The Difference

  Instructions:  (Part 1)  Read the two letters addressed to “John” and circle all of the commas (,) and periods (.)

 

Instructions:  (Part 2)  Answer the following questions.  top

1.  Are these two letters the same?   How has changing the punctuation affected the letter?
[Write your answer in sentence form.]

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2.  If you were John, which letter would you like to receive?    Why? 

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3.  Rewrite Letter One using the past tense (simple past/past perfect/past modal verbs).

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4  Grammar Exercise: top

 

Instructions: (Part 1)   Provide the correct preposition to complete the phrase.

1.      to be accustomed _______

2.      to be afraid _______

3.      to be aware _______

4.      to be capable _______

5.      to be concerned _______

6.      to be fond _______

7.      to be guilty _______

8.      to be jealous _______

9.      to be prepared _______

10.  to be satisfied _______

11.  to be used _______

12.  to be worried _______

 

·         Some additional examples:

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&  Vocabulary Development:  top
Instructions:  Match the vocabulary on the left with the definitions on the right.

 

1.      feel blue	to laugh
2.    feel on top of the world	useful, beneficial
3.     handy	something rude or derogatory
4.     sense of humour	an amount or quantity, usually associated with medicine
5.     diaphragm	muscle between chest and stomach that helps control breathing
6.     workout	bad, awful, unpleasant
7.     sitcom	a funny television program (situation comedy)
8.     terrible	physical exercise
9.     juxtaposition	an extreme difference
10.giggle	male or female
11.  gender	sad or depressed
12.dose	the ability to laugh at something funny
13. insulting	very happy, excited

 
  $  Reading Exercise: top
Instructions:  Read the following passage and answer the comprehension questions.