If you intend to learn standup comedy, you should pay particular attention to punchline mechanics. A punchline is considered as the soul of standup comedy. Comedians could not possibly make people laugh on jokes and antics without using punchlines. Thus, a punchline is a must. Learn to formulate it and to deliver it well.
Here are several things you should know first and foremost about punchlines, especially in any standup comedy act. It would help you a lot if you would know these insights by heart.
First, spoken punchlines should be less than about nine words. The shorter a punchline is, the better it gets. Avoid very long punchlines as the audience surely would not notice and get them. A punchline could make or break a joke or an antic. Strive harder to make it as catchy and as funny as it could be.
Effective punchlines are often placed strategically at the end of sentences. As you write your standup comedy material, remember to put the punchline of a joke at the end or near the end of a sentence or paragraph. You should not put it at the beginning. To illustrate, take this example:
A catechist asked his 6-year old pupils why people make it a point to stay quiet while in the church. He almost fell from his seat when a little boy candidly answered, Because in the church, people are sleeping. Take note of the punchline in this case. It is people are sleeping. Note that the literal meaning of that punchline has not been clearly revealed until the last word, which is sleeping.
Then, remember that punchlines should also contain a keyword or a keyword phrase, which must be located at the end or near the end of the sentence or paragraph. In the example given above, the keyword is sleeping. People are not supposed to sleep at the church; instead they should be wide awake praying and listening to sermons of priests.
There are standup comedy tips you should know about as your learn standup comedy. Take note of the words or ideas you tell people that make them laugh. You could understand a punchline secret from doing so. Try to incorporate your observations into your standup comedy act.
Assess the punchline on your own. Take note of its keyword placement. You should edit and make necessary adjustments. If you do so, you may soon find out that you are turning any so-so punchline into a highly effective one.
Of course, there could be exceptions. Not all punchlines contain keywords or key phrases that are found at the end of lines. Some jokes and antics are not spoken at all. In such cases, punchlines could be considered as verbal. It may be harder to present such acts.
Learn standup comedy so you could excel in your endeavor. If you think you have the natural gift of humor, you may use it to make other people laugh. At the same time, you could earn a significant amount of money. Not all people are as gifted as you are. Use this fact to your advantage.