J William

Pun and Games

lishments. So what sign might appear on the side of a plumbers truck? My students know the answer: Aflush is better than afull house. I would never argue that I pay no price in starting classes with such games. I often have to make the transition into the main material for the class under a barrage of groans, the sounds of choking, charges of cruel and all-too-usual punishment, and the like. And as my students get to know me better, they start to speculate in only slightly muffled voices about exactly how much intelligence is needed to make up and enjoy the kinds of language games I expose them to. Still, I persist. In my classes I am working to move my students to accept the claim that when they have their own students in classes in English, literacy, or the language arts, they should use language games with them. And this brief article is the product of my decision to risk more groans and questions about my intelligence and extend my claim to a general audience of teachers of English, literacy, and the language arts.