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How to Do Stand-Up Comedy

There's a common misconception that stand-up comics do nothing all day and tell little stories to drunken audiences at night. But most stand-up comics spend hours every day working on and perfecting their routines, and they have to be able to read their audience to know what kind of humor they'll respond to.
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Instructions

  1. Comic Vocabulary

    • Build up your comic vocabulary by consulting "Greg Dean's College of Comedy Knowledge's Glossary of Comedy Terms" (see Resources).

      To kill: To perform well. The audience loves you.
      To bomb: To perform badly.
      Dying: The process of bombing.
      Set: Your collection of jokes.
      Setup: The explanation part of a joke, describing a situation or telling a story.
      Punch line: The funny part of a joke.
      Heckler: Someone in the audience who talks and interrupts a comedian in an insulting way.
      Blue: Using dirty language or talking about sexual or adult matters in an explicit way.

Next: Study the Pros

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Comedy

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