Have you ever been in an awkward situation that you didn't know how to get out of? It could be, when someone is hurt and you don't know how to comfort them, or maybe you did something embarrassing and want to break the ice. Those situations are okay to tell someone a pun. For example, if someone is upset, tell them a pun to make them smile. For example, you could say "Did you hear the joke about the butter? Everyone is spreading it." Or say you fall down a flight of stairs, you could say "that wasn't a very good trip." Puns can get you out of tough situations. However, there are some situations where puns are not appropriate. In fact, in these situations, puns could make the situation more hostile. So here are a few situations when telling someone a pun is not helpful.
The first, is when someone is giving birth. I've never been in the same room when someone is giving birth, but from what I've heard, it's not the most peaceful situation. The mother is focusing on giving birth. Her hormones are through the roof, and she is stressed out enough. In other words, the mother is not herself. At this time, she probably doesn't even know your name, let alone why you're in the room. So telling her an inappropriate pun about child birth, isn't recommended. You won't get the reaction you want. You may think that you're "breaking the ice," but you're not.
The next, is during your drivers test. You have waited to take this test. You have taken your five hour course and have spent many hours practicing. You think you're ready. Your instructor just wants to get in and get out, and either pass you or fail you. Lets just say, you're half way into your test. You already have gotten 15 points off. Your instructor is getting mad and is trying to tell you what you're doing wrong. You turn to your instructor and say "I had a friend that collected police cars, ambulance and fire trucks. It was an estate of emergency when he died." Meanwhile, you ran through a stop light and almost hit a little boy riding a scooter. Now, you have lost more points because you decided to tell a pun at the wrong time.
The next situation, is when you meet a new person. Say someone has transferred into your school, and sits right next to you. They are very shy, and are shaking because they are so nervous. Instead of greeting them, you turn to them and say "I used to hate math but then i realized decimals had a point." You may think that you're being funny, but you don't know what this new person is like. Before you tell them a punny joke(haha) get to know them. If you start off a conversation with a pun, you might have ruined your chances of ever becoming friends with them. It's better to be safe, then be sorry and wish that you never told that pun.
Next, is a funeral. Earlier I said something that it is okay to tell your friend a pun if they're upset. But If they're at a funeral or upset that someone died, not the smartest move. Imagine that you have been brought to your Great Aunt Birtha's funeral. You didn't really know her. You are just there because she was your grandma's sister. While everyone is crying and grieving, you lean over to your Great Uncle Burt and tell him a pun about a funeral. You say "Why isn't this fun? Funeral has the word "fun" in it. It would make the situation extremely awkward and you would probably get ignored for the rest of the time. You might even get shunned from your family because you told a pun. Not cool.
The final situation, is when you are trying to get to a certain destination and your parents get lost. Your GPS is recalculating and all you want to do, is just get there. Your parents are stressed out and want to get there just as bad as you. While your parents are yelling and blaming everything on each other, you interrupt and say "Hey, are we lost in the mist? Or do you not have the foggiest idea where we are?" This might make your parents even more frustrated, which might cause for a stressful vacation and you don't want that.
So next time, you want to tell someone a pun, make sure you think of the situation. You don't want to make a situation worse. Even if you think you're being punny.
