Explain the literary device in this sentence: "The princess kissed the frog; he croaked." I believe my teacher said this was a pun. I also have to explain how the semicolon adds to the humor of this. I would appreciate if anyone could explain this to me as i have thought of this for awhile and still don't understand why it is a pun or how this is humorous? Thanks

Expert Answers

| Certified Educator

This is funny because the word "croak" has two meanings. It usually refers to the sound that we say that a frog makes. So that's why it makes sense to say that the frog croaked after the princess kissed it.

But "croak" in slang, also means to die. So it...

See
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

Already a member? Log in here.

But "croak" in slang, also means to die. So it ends up sounding like after she kissed the frog, it died.

I guess the semicolon is important because if it were a comma, it might be what someone said. In other words, someone might have croaked those words. Like if you wrote "Hello," she said.

Approved by eNotes Editorial Team