1. Let’s Have Some Pun!
« A very punny lateral thinking game
for the English classroom. »
By Chris Yukna
Science General
School of Mines

2. Paronomasia
noun Rhetoric . 1. the use of a word in different senses or the use
of words similar in sound to achieve a specific effect, as humor or
a dual meaning; punning.
2. a pun.
Visualadjective
adjective: visual
1.
of or relating to seeing or sight.
"visual perception"
synonyms:optical, optic, ocular, eye; Morevision, sight
"visual defects"
visible, perceptible, perceivable, discernible
"a visual indication that the alarm works"
noun
noun: visual; plural noun: visuals
1.
a picture, piece of film, or display used to illustrate or accompany something.
Nota bene: groaning is allowed

3. Visual Pun Words
Here’s is the game: First person who shouts out the word(s) gets a point for their
team. Or you can set a time for each slide and players write down the two solutions.
Examples

4. 1

5. 2

6. 3

7. 4

8. 5

9. 6

10. 7

11. 8

12. 9

13. 10

14. Hope you had pun…
• All these images were found by simply typing visual puns in google
images. (to see their pages click on the image)
• Feel free to make your own presentation and pun away.
• Or contact me at yukna(at)emse.fr with the understanding that I have
already been contacted by beautiful Russian girls seeking marriage, won a
strange lottery in the Bahamas, and several relatives that I never knew I
had, have left me money…
• This is obviously a pun game to get your divergent neurons firing in English
class. Certainly, as a teacher you can explain to the pun-challenged what
each image and word actually mean. (if you don’t know see the comments
with each slide or the answer key on the last slide.)
• One salient point, this somewhat cerebral game can be played by
illiterates.

15. Answer key
• Examples: fire drill & french fries
• 1. Navy Seals and loafers
• 2. Brainstorm & light beer
• 3. Bonehead & Ipod
• 4. Unicorn & four head
• 5. Knight owl & onion ring
• 6. Holey cow & bookworm
• 7. Pigeoned toed & brainwash
• 8. Head in the clouds & eyeball
• 9. Butterfingers and spitting images
• 10. Clownfish & Cereal Killer
About the author:
Chris Yukna was born
in the antediluvian 50s,
had a paper route at 9,
sold Christmas cards door
to door at 11, and washed
dishes at 14. All these
enriching work experiences convinced him early
on that he was totally unsuited to working and
therefore should become a space cadet, mad
scientist, or teacher.
He has three websites that he tries to update
periodically:
Science General (fun with science)
Business Emporium (Esl business lessons &
quizzes)
Totally Unorthodox (where he puts everything
else)