They often have unexpected twists. For example, in a story where a man goes to a pet store to buy a goldfish. He asks the clerk if the goldfish can do tricks. The clerk says 'yes, it can jump out of the tank and do backflips'. The man buys it and when he gets home, the goldfish just swims around. It's the unexpectedness that makes it funny.
Funny humor jok stories usually play with words or concepts. Take the joke 'I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough'. Here 'dough' has two meanings, one is the actual dough for baking and the other is money. This wordplay is a key characteristic. Also, they might involve absurd situations like a talking cat that wants to be a dog trainer. Absurdity in a relatable context can be very humorous.
One characteristic is that they can create a sense of shared understanding. When we hear a story about someone trying to fit a huge piece of furniture through a tiny door, we can all relate to the frustration and the hilarity of the situation. They also tend to break normal patterns of thinking. For instance, a story where a tree starts to tell people jokes. It's not something that happens in real life, and that departure from the norm is what makes it funny.
There was a guy who always brought a ladder to the bar. When asked why, he said 'because the drinks are on the house'. He thought it literally meant the drinks were on the roof of the house.
They usually play on the flaws and absurdities of human nature. In a short story, a miser who is so stingy that he tries to bargain with the Grim Reaper to take someone else instead of him. The combination of the serious concept of death and the ridiculous behavior of the miser creates that dark humorous effect.
There could be slapstick humor, like someone slipping on a banana peel. It's the physical and obvious kind of funny.
There could be slapstick humor, like someone slipping on a banana peel. It's physical and immediate, always good for a laugh.
One characteristic is the unexpectedness. They often have a twist that catches you off - guard, like in the story where the doctor says 'I'll deal with you later' to the man who thinks he's a deck of cards. Another is that they can be a bit macabre. For example, the skeleton asking for a beer and a mop. It's not your typical humorous situation but it makes you laugh because it's so absurd and a little bit creepy at the same time. Also, they sometimes play with taboos or uncomfortable topics in a way that still manages to be funny, without being too offensive.
They are usually concise. For example, a short story like 'Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything.' gets the humor across in just a few words.
One popular one is about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. They go camping, and in the middle of the night, Holmes wakes Watson up and says, 'Watson, look up at the stars and tell me what you deduce.' Watson starts talking about astronomy. Holmes says, 'No, Watson. Someone has stolen our tent!' Another is the story of a man who goes to the library and asks for a book on how to commit suicide. The librarian says, 'You can't have that. You won't bring it back.' For a third, there's the story of the two fish in a tank. One says to the other, 'Do you know how to drive this thing?'
Wordplay can also be a type of humor in it. Using puns or playing with the meanings of words to create a funny situation. For instance, if a character named Ben is called 'Bent' by mistake and then all sorts of comical things happen around that misnomer.
Dark humor short stories often feature unexpected or absurd situations. For example, characters might find themselves in a completely illogical yet real - ish situation, like in 'The Metamorphosis' where a man turns into an insect.
Good humor short stories often have an unexpected twist. Such as the story where a man goes to a library and asks for a book on how to commit suicide. The librarian says, 'Fiction or non - fiction?' It catches you off - guard. Also, they can play on words. For instance, 'Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.' This kind of wordplay makes the story humorous.