Funny ha-ha or funny peculiar 有趣還是怪異

The script of this programme 本節目台詞

Neil: Hi there, Helen. Now, something funny happened to me on my way here this morning.

Helen: Oh, really? Do tell me. I love a funny story!

Neil: Right. A man got on my bus wearing his shoes on the wrong feet.

Helen: OK. And what happened next?

Neil: Then he started speaking to me. He asked if I liked Shakespeare.

Helen: Oh, right.

Neil: And then he started reading one of Hamlet's famous speeches!

Helen:Yeah, Neil?

Neil: Yeah?

Helen: You told me it was a funny story. But I'm not laughing. It's not funny. It's a bit weird.

Neil: Yeah – I meant funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha.

Helen: Funny peculiar?

Neil: Yes, 'funny' is usually something you laugh about. But sometimes we use 'funny' to mean 'strange' or 'weird'. Because it has these two meanings – sometimes people want to make it clear which one they mean. 'Funny ha-ha' is for things which make you laugh, and 'funny peculiar' describes…

Helen: It describes things which are weird! 當我們聽到 funny 這個詞的時候，它並不是只代表好笑或有趣，它也可能是指怪異，古怪。所以我們應該首先判定到底是哪個意思，是好笑，有趣呢 'funny ha-ha', 還是表述一種古怪行為呢 'funny peculiar'.

Neil: That's it. These are our phrases in today's Authentic Real English. Let's hear some examples.

Helen: Anyway, Neil, thanks for your story about the guy on the bus. Do you know what happened on my way to work today?

Neil: No?

Helen: The bus driver was telling jokes.

Neil: That's funny, peculiar. It's odd for bus drivers to tell jokes. But was the joke funny ha-ha?

Helen: Sadly, no! A bit like your jokes.

Neil: Hey – that's not true! My jokes are funny!

Helen: They're funny – peculiar!

Neil: Thank you so much, Helen.

Both: Bye!