Longer jokes give you a chance to shine as a joke-teller. Like a thousand-year-old coin or an ultra-rare Pokémon card, they should be the pride of your collection. They enable you to take centre stage for longer and provide the opportunity to use more actions and sound effects. You can also add in your own details and language choices, as long as you remember the key points of the story and the punchline.
That said, it also requires more effort to learn the jokes properly and to deliver them well. And it can be harder to keep a lot of them in your mental repertoire. Don’t let this put you off. You should always be on the lookout for new long jokes to add to your collection. When you find one, you’ll need to study it and practise it before it becomes a part of your repertoire. Here are a few tips to help you remember and deliver longer jokes.

Memorise the Punchline
The most important part of the joke is the punchline. This is also the only part that needs to be memorised word for word. Run it over in your mind several times and practise saying it out loud, finding the right rhythm and intonation. Once you’ve memorised it, see if you can unpack it. What is it that makes this punchline funny (or not!)?

Understand the Important Elements
A punchline is not funny on its own. It’s only funny in contrast with the setup. Analyse the setup carefully, trying to figure out which elements of the joke must be included for the punchline to work. Some jokes only work with a particular character, such as a young girl or a panda. Some would work with any character, provided they are in a specific situation. You need to work out which details are essential in order to tell a longer joke well.

Summarise the Joke
Once you understand the important elements of the joke, see if you can summarise it in a few key sentences. Try to get the joke down to its bare bones, the crucial parts that make it work. This is what you can write in your Joke Collector’s Notebook. It’s also what you need to run through in your mind when you are first learning a long joke.

Add Details
When you understand the structure of the joke, you need to add the details back in. You can do this using the language that you first heard or read. Or you can add your own flavour to it, make the joke yours. Some people like to personalise a joke, making it about their own life, as though it actually happened to them. You can also tailor a joke towards your specific audience, if you already have one in mind.
This is the point where you need to practise your joke. You can run through it silently at first, perhaps while on the way to school or at the supermarket. Then, once you’re confident that you know the joke, you need to practise it out loud. To avoid making people think you’ve gone bonkers, you might want to do this alone in your bedroom.

Add Actions and Sound Effects
While you practise your joke out loud, see if you can make the story funnier or more visual. Throw in actions and sound effects wherever you can. This keeps the audience engaged and entertained, even before you hit them with the punchline.
Try to build up the actions as you work through the joke. If you start out with arms swinging and voice wailing, your audience won’t know what hit them. Give them a few smaller actions first, such as walking down the street or licking an ice cream. Then, when you have them engaged, pick up the pace, saving your big guns until the climax of the joke.

Delivering the Punchline
Even with all your screaming and jumping up and down, the punchline is still the most important part of the joke. Deliver it carefully and clearly. If your audience don’t quite hear what you said the whole joke will be lost, so make sure you say it loudly enough, too. Often, a pause of several seconds can build anticipation and increase its impact. And don’t forget to make eye contact and smile while you say it.

Below are three longer jokes that I love. But remember, if you want to share them with others, don’t read from the book. Practice until you’ve memorised all the key points. Then try adding expressive voices and sound effects, perhaps a few gestures. Practice your performance in front of the mirror.
Only share it when you’re sure you know the joke and can tell it well. Oh… and don’t forget to have fun!

Practice Jokes

A young boy was doing some handiwork with his father. When it came to putting a picture on the wall, the father said, “I’ll do this one… You’re like lightning with a hammer!”
The boy said, “Wow, is that cos I’m so fast?”
“No, it’s because you never strike the same place twice!”

A girl strolled into school at half past ten and casually sat down at her desk.
The teacher looked shocked. “Miranda,” he shouted, “you should have been here at nine o’clock!”
Miranda said, ‘Why? What happened at nine o’clock?”

Balloon Boy sneaked out of his balloon school and started ballooning around in the balloon playground. When no one was looking, he fiddled with a valve on the side of the balloon building. Suddenly the entire balloon school went “TTTHHHHHBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” (Use hands to show it getting smaller.)
The balloon headmaster rushed out of the deflated school and stomped over to Balloon Boy, shouting, “What the ballooning heck do you think you’re doing, you ballooning imbecile!?”
Balloon Boy knew he was in serious trouble. He looked around frantically for a way out and spotted a valve on the balloon headmaster’s stomach.
Without saying a word, he reached out and pressed the valve. The balloon headmaster went, “TTTHHHHHBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” (Use actions again.)
Balloon Boy stood there all alone. He was in such trouble now! He hung his head and cried. Through his balloon tears, he spotted a valve on his own stomach. Without giving it too much thought, he pushed the valve. “TTTHHHHHBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”
Moments later a balloon ambulance came ballooning towards the scene. BALLOOOOON, BALLOOOOON, BALLOOOOON!
Balloon paramedics rushed out and carefully carried Balloon Boy and the balloon headmaster into the balloon ambulance. As the ambulance went ballooning towards the balloon hospital, the paramedics began pumping the two balloon people back up. Fffft, ffft, ffft, ffft!
When Balloon Boy came around, he saw his balloon headmaster lying next to him, getting bigger by the moment.
The balloon headmaster turned to Balloon Boy with a disappointed look on his balloon face. Then he said, “Sonny, you let the school down and you let me down. But worst of all, you let yourself down!”

For more tips on remembering and telling jokes, plus more hilarious examples, check out You’re Joking: Become an Expert Joke-Teller.