雙關語（pun）英語中壹種常見的修辭手法.該修辭格巧妙利用詞的諧音、詞的多義或歧義等,使同壹句話可同時表達不同意義,以造成語言生動活潑、幽默詼諧或嘲弄譏諷的修辭效果,使人讀來忍俊不禁、英語中雙關語的構成通常需要兩個基本條件,即雙重情境（double context）和多義詞或同音異義詞.其構成方式主要有以下四種：
1）同音異義雙關（諧音雙關）
指在壹個語境中巧妙運用兩個或多個詞語的同音或諧音達到諷刺或具詼諧意味的效果.
eg1. Seven days without water makes one weak.
七天不進水,人就會虛弱.
weak和week是同音異義詞.因此這句話聽起來可以理解為：Seven days without water makes one week.
eg2. You earn your living and you urn your dead.
生前勞碌奔命,死後化灰入土.
earn與urn(火化)同音異義,用在壹起顯得俏皮,別有趣味.
2）同詞異義雙關（多義詞雙關）
指在同壹語境中運用壹個詞語的兩種意思巧妙地達到幽默風趣的效果,使讀之別有韻味.
eg1. A: What's the longest sentence in the world?
世上最長的句子是什麽?
B: Prison for life. 無期徒刑.
sentence既有“句子”的意思,也有“刑期”的含義.
eg2. Women have a wonderful sense of right and wrong, but little sense of right and left.
女性對善惡感覺驚人,而對左右感覺麻木.
該句借用同詞異義雙關諷刺女性方向感差,開車左右不分.
eg3.We must all hang together, or we shall all hang se-parately. 我們必須團結壹致,否則將壹壹被絞死.
本句運用多義雙關,深刻而幽默地說明了不團結便滅亡的道理.短語動詞hang together作“團結壹致”解,但hang亦可作“吊死”、“絞死”解.因此這句話也可被誤解為“我們必須在壹起上吊,否則我們就會壹個個地被絞死.”
3）語意歧解雙關
指運用壹詞多義使語境產生微妙的歧義,從而達到幽默詼諧的效果.
eg1. Customer: Waiter, will the pancakes be long?
煎餅還是要等很久嗎?
Waiter: No, sir. Round. 不,先生,是圓的.
顧客使用的long指的是時間的漫長,而服務員把它曲解為（形狀的）“長形”,趣味由此而生.
eg2. Customer: Have you got any chicken's legs?
妳有雞腿嗎?
Waiter: No, sir, I always walk this way!
不,先生,我壹直是這樣走路的呀!
這個對話表現出顧客同服務員之間的誤解.顧客想吃雞腿,問服務員是否有這道菜.服務員誤解為顧客嘲笑他像用雞腿走路的那副樣子,於是反駁道：“我壹直是這樣走路的呀!”
eg3.A: Can you see a female? 妳能會見壹位女士嗎?
B: Of course, I can see a female as easily as a male. Do you suppose I'm blind?
當然可以（看得見）,我看女士和看男士是壹樣地容易.難道妳認為我是個瞎子?
第壹句話中的see本意是“約見,會見”之意,而B把它歧解為“能看見（have the ability of seeing）”.
4）延伸雙關
指巧妙運用某些語言現象（構詞、發音等）,展開聯想,臨場發揮,適度引申,從而達到某種幽默風趣的效果.
eg1. A: What is the worst kind of fish? 最壞的魚是什麽魚? B: Selfish. 自私.
selfish（自私）單詞碰巧裏面含有壹個fish.作者巧妙地運用這壹語言現象,答非所問,歪打正著,卻意味深遠,發人深思,風趣雋永.
eg2.A: Which is the longest word in English?
英語中最長的單詞是哪壹個?
B: Smiles, because there is a "mile" between the first letter "S" and the last letter "s".
是Smiles,因為從第壹個字母S到最後壹個字母s,中間相隔壹英裏（mile）.
回答者把smiles（微笑）拆分成s-mile-s,趣味天成.
現在舉幾個有趣的英語雙關例子：
What is the worst weather for mice ?
When it rains cats and dogs.
Which can run faster , heat or cold ?
Heat. Because everyone can catch cold.
Why is the bride always unlucky on her wedding ?
Because she can never marry the best man.
然後,再看看下面這些有趣的問答：
1. —Why is a river rich?
—Because it has two banks.
提醒bank有兩個意思：壹是表示“銀行”,二是表示“河岸”.
2. —Why does a man’s hair become grey before his moustaches?
—Because a man’s moustaches come up after his hair.
提醒答語句意為：因為人們先長頭發後長胡須.
3. —Why is a ship one of the most polite things on earth?
—Because it always advances with a bow.
提醒bow有兩個意思是：壹是表示“鞠躬”,二是表示“船首”.
4. —Why is your nose in the middle of your face?
—Because it is a scenter.
提醒動詞scent 意為“嗅”,其派生名詞scenter 意為“嗅的東西”,而scenter剛好與 center讀音相同
5. —Why should fish be well educated?
—Because they are so often found in schools.
提醒school 有兩個意思：壹是指“學校”,二是指“魚群”.
6. —Why is the letter A like a flower?
—Because the B is after it.
提醒字母B與bee讀音相同.
7. —Why does the letter T look like an island?
—Because it is in the middle of “water”.
提醒答句的字母意思是：因為字母T在單詞water的中間.既然在“水”的中間,當然看起來像是“島”.
8. —Do you know why birds fly to south in the winter?
—Because it’s too far to walk there.
提醒太遠不能走著去,當然要飛著去.
9. —Why is a room full of married couples empty?
—Because there is not a single man in the room.
提醒there is not a single man 有兩個意思：壹是指“沒有壹個單身未婚男人”,二是表示“沒有壹個人”.
10. —Why did the student take a ladder to school?
—Because he/she was going to high school!
提醒由於按傳統思維,人們壹般會將ladder（梯子）與high（高）聯系在壹起.
11. —Why did the man throw the butter out the window?
—He wanted to see the butterfly.
提醒butterfly 的意思是“蝴蝶”,但若將butterfly分開,則成了butter（黃油）和fly（飛）.
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以下是何毓琦教授列出的壹些有助於理解西方文化的pun,我基本上都不明白,看來還要好好學習,天天向上.
1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'
13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
15. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'
16. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
17. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
18. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
19. A backward poet writes inverse.
20. In democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.
21. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!