老外們喜歡幽默，日常生活中許多英語幽默來自于對語言的巧妙運用，尤其是對雙關語的運用。老外們的幽默感通過雙關語得到了淋漓盡致地發揮。

　　1 句法結構雙關

　　例句：

　　--"Do you ever draw picture in the nude?"

　　--"No, I usually wear a jacket."

　　對話中，提問的人是想問“你有沒有畫過****畫”，而回答的人卻理解為“你曾經光著身子畫過畫嗎?”這則

　　幽默中雙關產生的原因是對in the nude在句中不同功能的理解，即作定語或作狀語。

　　2 語義雙關

　　例一：一個男孩子為了追求一個在銀行窗口工作的女孩子，便在遞交存折的同時附上了一張小紙條。"Dear M:

　　I have been SAVING this question in the hope that I might gain some INTETRST. If free Friday, would you care to DEPOST yourself beside me at a movie? I have taken into ACCOUNT that you maybe previously engaged; if so I will WITHDRAW my offer and hipe Saturday. At any RATE, your company would much enjoy, and I hope you will not ASSESS this as too forward. Check you late.

　　Sincerely B."

　　如此有創意的求愛方式，女孩子能不為之心動么。男孩子巧妙運用銀行術語(deposit, withdraw, account, assess, check)與日常環境的不同意思，以獨特的方式表達了自己的愛慕之情。

　　例二：英語習慣用語生動形象，用在一定的語境中，可以產生一語雙關的效果。

　　--What weather does mice most dislike?

　　--When it is raining cats and dogs.

　　"Cats and dogs"是傾盆大雨的意思。這則

　　幽默取其字面意思，貓狗都從天上掉下來了，老鼠自然不喜歡了。

　　3 語音雙關

　　例一：The things my wife buy at auctions are keeping me baroque.

　　這是一位男士利用baroque(形式怪樣的)與broke(破產)的相近讀音來表達對妻子花錢大手大腳的不滿。

　　例二：Six year old Linda returned impressed from her school first day at school. Asked how she got on, she replied:" Every morning, we all have to sit at our desk and when the teacher calls our names, we have to answer 'prisoner' !"

　　當老師點名時，學生應該回答"present"。而Linda利用"prisoner"與"present"的相近讀音，表達了對學校生活的不滿。

　　例三：--"You're not eating your fish," the waitress asked him, "Anything wrong with it?"

　　--"Long time no sea," the customer replied.

　　"Long time no sea"魚久不見海，肯定不新鮮。而"Long time no see"是朋友見面時所用的寒暄語，相當于老朋友久別重逢時說的“好久不見”。Sea與see是同音異形異義詞，這位顧客巧妙地運用這一點，指出了魚不好吃，不新鮮。