Level A2 and above 

Fun and funny have different meanings. Like alligators and crocodiles, they look alike and they can be easily confused. Read on and have fun!

- with videos, expressions, songs and exercises.

Benedicte Gravrand, an English trainer at The Language House explains.

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Fun and Funny

(Level A2-B2)

Fun is a noun. It means enjoyment, or an enjoyable activity. Oh, and it is uncountable (so you can’t have two funs).

• We had a lot of fun in the snow.
• Playing frisbee is fun!
• Let’s do it again. This is fun.

Funny is an adjective. It has two meanings:

Something that is funny makes you laugh.

Funny also means something that is strange or unusual, or even illegal.

• A funny joke (it makes me laugh).
• Eddie Izzard is really funny (see video below).
  
• This tea tastes funny (it has a strange taste).
• I think there is some funny business going on here (it’s perhaps not legal).
  

Note: in informal American English, fun is sometimes used as an adjective.

• This was a real fun party.

Fun and funny, explained by the BBC

Fill the gaps with fun or funny. The first one has been done for you.

Have fun!

1. I think there’s something funny about their business proposal. It doesn’t seem right.
2. The drugs did …… things to her head.
3. She is one of Britain’s …… comedians
4. Science can be …….
5. You’re in a …… mood today.
6. We had great …… comparing our baby photographs.
7. There’s something …… going on.
8. Wouldn’t it be …… if we played a trick on him?
9. You’ll love Jamal – he’s great …….
10. The kids had a lot of …… with that old tent.
11. If you love her, you’ve got a …… way of showing it.
12. I don’t think that’s very …….
13. It was just a bit of harmless …….
14. That was ……, wasn’t it?
15. Optimists have more … than pessimists in life (see our blog on optimism here).

Answer key:

1. Funny
2. Funny
3. Funniest
4. Fun
5. Funny
6. Fun
7. Funny
8. Funny
9. Fun
10. Fun
11. Funny
12. Funny
13. Fun
14. Fun
15. Fun

Fun Fun Fun – The Beach Boys

Expressions with fun and funny

(Level B2-C1)

There are lots of expressions that have the words fun or funny.

 FUN

1. To be full of fun: to get a lot of enjoyment from the things that you do. She was full of life and full of fun.
2. To be no fun: to not be enjoyable. It’s no fun living on your own.
3. Fun and games: enjoyable activities. Being an actor isn’t all fun and games.
4. Have your fun: to do something that you enjoy or think is funny, especially something that annoys someone else. You’ve had your fun – now go home!
5. Make fun of / poke fun at: to make jokes about someone or something in an unkind way. The other children made fun of her because she was always so serious.
6. Not my idea of fun: used for saying that you do not enjoy an activity that someone else thinks is enjoyable. Kicking a football up and down a muddy pitch isn’t my idea of fun.
7. Sound like fun: to seem to be something that you would enjoy. A weekend away sounds like fun.

FUNNY

1. Feel funny: to feel slightly ill. I’ve been feeling a bit funny all day.
2. Funny ha-ha or funny peculiar: used for asking whether the word ‘funny’ is being used to mean ‘amusing’ or ‘strange’. ‘You are funny, Albert.’ ‘Funny ha-ha or peculiar?’
3. Funny little: strange and small. He’s got a funny little car, hasn’t he?
4. The funny thing is: used for saying you think something is strange. The funny thing is, they stole my CDs but didn’t take any money.
5. It’s​/​that’s​/​not funny: used for telling someone that you are annoyed by something they are doing.
6. See the funny side of something: to realize that something bad that happens can also be funny. Fortunately, Sharon saw the funny side of my mistake.
7. Very funny: used for telling someone that you do not believe what they have said. ‘The airline has lost your suitcases!’ – ‘Very funny, now tell me where they really are.’
8. What’s so funny? used for telling someone that you do not understand why they are laughing, and that you are slightly annoyed by it. What’s so funny about my hair?

Definitions from MacmillanDictionary.com

Test your memory. Fill in the gaps in this dialogue. The first one has been done for you.

1. I wake up one morning, go to the kitchen to make some coffee. My brother is there, and when he sees me, he starts laughing. “Did you have fun last night,” he asks, staring at my face.
2. “Why do you ask? What’s ……… about my face?” I say, annoyed. “You have a moustache painted on your face.”
3. “Ahah, ……,” I reply. “I don’t believe you.”
4. “Well, you …… at that party last night,” says my mother coming in the kitchen. “Now it’s time to go to work.” “What?” I say. “Mum, today is Sunday!”
5. “Oh, I’m just …… you,” she says.
6. “Well, this house is full …..…… this morning,” I retort with a hint of sarcasm.
7. “You still have that …… moustache on your face,” my brother says.
8. “Stop it. You’re ……,” I reply. “Besides, I think I drunk a bit too much at the party, so I’m …… right now.”
9. “Well,” he says, “You have to see …..…… of that moustache. It makes you look older. Old and …….”
10. “………………. ?” I ask. “Er, funny peculiar,” he replies.
11. “The kitchen is full …….. today,” my father says, coming in with a tea pot in his hand. “What’s all this about?” “Do I have a moustache drawn on my face,” I ask him. He looks at me: “No.”
12. “The ………. is, having a moustache sounds ……….. after all.”

Answer Key:

1. I wake up one morning, and go to the kitchen to make some coffee. My brother is there, and when he sees me, he starts laughing. “Did you have fun last night,” he asks, staring at my face.
2. “Why do you ask? What’s so funny about my face?” I say, annoyed. “You have a moustache painted on your face.”
3. “Ahah, very funny,” I reply. I don’t believe him
4. “Well, you had your fun at that party last night,” says my mother coming in the kitchen. “Now it’s time to go to work.”“What?” I say. “Mum, today is Sunday!”

5. “Oh, I’m just making fun of you,” she says.
6. “Well, this house is full of fund and games this morning,” I answer with a hint of sarcasm.
7. “You still have that funny little moustache on your face,” my brother says.
8. “Come on, you’re no fun,” I reply. “Besides, I think I drunk a bit too much at the party, so I’m feeling funny right now.”
9. “Well,” he says, “You have to see the funny side of that moustache. It makes you look older. Old and funny.”
10. “Funny ha-ha or funny peculiar?” I ask. “Er, funny peculiar,” he replies.

11. “The kitchen is full of fun today,” my father says, coming in with a tea pot in his hand. “What’s all this about?” “Do I have a moustache drawn on my face,” I ask him. He looks at me: “No.”

12. “The funny thing is, having a moustache sounds like fun after all.”

A few idioms with fun and funny

(level B2-C2)

I always enjoy myself when Katie’s around—she’s a bundle of fun! She can be as funny as a barrel of monkeys!

Anyway, yesterday we decided to make a cake. It usually takes some time to bake it, but with three children in the kitchen, getting there is half the fun!

We finished baking at midnight. It felt like we had just started. Time flies when you’re having fun! And Katie’s antics were too funny for words!

Source: idioms.thefreedictionary.com

Eddie Izzard on learning French. Very funny.