Experts have identified three parts to the average joke: the set-up, the punch-line and the reaction. In order to see how this works, let’s look at a typical joke.
Did you laugh? Anyway, first of all, we have the set-up. This is the part that prepares the audience for the funny part. In this case, we hear that a man is looking for a new pair of shoes but he can’t find any that fit. This provides a perfect setting for the punchline when we discover that the man chooses his original shoes. And now comes the part that all comedians dread: the reaction. This can be anything from hysterical laughter to uncomfortable silence.