Humor Theory

Typs are the highest form of humor.

Sincerity is the highest form of irony.

Truth is the highest form of a lie.

And yo' momma is the highest form of fat.

You bitch! She has severe emotional issues stemming from weight problems!

*tackle-dives*

I approve of this thread.

My two cents: Context, context, context. Be very strategic about the joke or your humor, but make sure it flows well.

Also, moderation. You don't want to be predictable. Mix it up.

Honestly, I think it's good to have some jokes prepared that you can tell at social gatherings, as long as you don't overuse them.

I think understatement humor can get a lot more mileage than it typically does. Partially because you don't have to go out of your way to set it up, just change the wording of something and carry on with the conversation.

@Mura: Actually, I don't really need a comma there. My intonation does not denote comma.

Alk: Following that train of though, I really like subtle humor, where it's not obvious that they're making a joke.

Rume: Combine that with sarcasm that doesn't have any inflection noticeable to non-natives and hamtastic hyperbole and you have Irish national humour.

So you basically have me at work. Which leads to some hilarious moments where I have to calm people down and explain that I'm not seriously suggesting we do various horrible things and that they are silly for taking it seriously.

Important thing about telling a joke: Being able to tell a joke.

Don't miss out on any important bits, and for god's sake, don't talk so slow that by the time you get to the punchline, I've forgotten the setup. Or worse, figured the punchline out already.