comedy

comedy
com‧e‧dy /ˈkɒmədi, ˈkɒmɪdi $ ˈkɑː-/ noun (plural comedies)1. [uncountable] entertainment that is intended to make people laugh
    comedy writer/series/show/actor etc
    a career in stand-up comedy (=telling jokes in front of people as a job)
2. [countable] a play, film, or television programme that is intended to make people laugh:
    a highly successful TV comedy
3. [uncountable] the quality in something such as a book or play that makes people laugh
   SYN  humour ⇨ tragedy:
    Can’t you see the comedy of the situation?
⇨ black comedy, situation comedy
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 1)

■ comedy + NOUN
   ▪ a comedy series (=a regular TV programme about the same characters) I used to like the comedy series 'Friends’.
   ▪ a comedy show (=a performance) She has her own comedy show on TV.
   ▪ a comedy writer He is best known as a comedy writer for radio and television.
   ▪ a comedy actor/actress He was voted the top TV comedy actor.
   ▪ a comedy star (=a very famous comedy actor or actress) The main role in the film is played by comedy star Whoopi Goldberg.
   ▪ a comedy film They were the most successful comedy films of all time.
   ▪ a comedy routine (=the jokes that form a comedy show) He always has a brilliant comedy routine.
   ▪ a comedy duo (=two people who perform together regularly) the legendary comedy duo Laurel and Hardy
   ▪ the comedy circuit/scene (=all the people, places etc involved in providing comedy) She became a major star on the international comedy circuit.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + comedy
   ▪ stand-up comedy (=performances with one person telling jokes alone) He developed a stand-up comedy act.
   ▪ slapstick comedy (=in which the performers do silly things like falling over, getting dirty etc) The tradition of slapstick comedy goes back to the early days of cinema.
   ▪ high comedy (=intelligent and with very funny conversations and situations) The director wanted actors who could play high comedy.
   ▪ low comedy (=about very silly situations etc) He’s a popular actor who excels at low comedy.
   ▪ light comedy (=about subjects that are not very serious) He is clearly talented at light comedy.
   ▪ black/dark comedy (=about subjects that are usually sad or serious, especially death) The plot contains plenty of black comedy.
   ▪ alternative comedy (=that is different from traditional types of comedy) He’s making a name for himself on the alternative comedy scene.
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 2)

■ adjectives
   ▪ a romantic comedy 'Four weddings and a Funeral' is a well-known romantic comedy.
   ▪ a black comedy (=about serious subjects, especially death) There are several murders in this black comedy set in Florida.
   ▪ a musical comedy (=with music and singing) As far as musical comedies go, this is one of the most successful.
   ▪ a sentimental comedy (=about emotions such as love and sadness) The film is one of those tearful sentimental comedies.
   ▪ a situation comedy (=a regular comedy TV programme about the same characters) She starred in a situation comedy about a family with teenage kids, that ran for ten years.
   ▪ a TV comedy The actor played the character Baldrick in the TV comedy 'Blackadder'.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ film especially British English, movie especially American English a series of images that tell a story and are shown in a cinema or on television: What’s your favourite movie? | It won the award for best foreign film. | a made-for-TV movie
   ▪ motion picture formal (also picture) a film – used especially by people who make films or by critics: a major Hollywood motion picture | Tell us about your latest picture.
   ▪ blockbuster informal a very successful film: Steven Spielberg’s latest Hollywood blockbuster
   ▪ flick informal a film – a very informal use: an action flick
   ▪ documentary a film that gives detailed information and facts about a particular subject: a documentary on the rain forest
   ▪ feature film a film made to be shown in cinemas: The book was later made into a full-length feature film starring Sean Penn.
   ▪ comedy a film intended to make people laugh: Monroe appeared in a number of comedies.
   ▪ romantic comedy (also romcom British English informal) a film about two people who are in love, which is intended to make the people who watch it feel happy: ‘Notting Hill’ is a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
   ▪ thriller an exciting film, especially about murder or serious crimes: ‘The Birds’ is a classic Hitchcock thriller.
   ▪ film noir a film that shows strong feelings of fear or evil and whose characters are often immoral, or these films in general: ‘The Big Sleep’ is a classic Hollywood film noir.
   ▪ action film/movie a film that has lots of fighting, explosions etc: Stallone’s latest action movie
   ▪ horror film/movie a frightening film about ghosts, murders etc: She loves watching old horror movies.
   ▪ western a film with cowboys in it: John Wayne is famous for making westerns.
   ▪ science fiction film/movie (also sci-fi film/movie informal) a film about imaginary events in the future or in outer space: ‘2001’ is probably the most famous sci-fi movie ever made.
   ▪ gangster film/movie a film about violent criminals
   ▪ silent film/movie an old film without any sound: The 1920s were the golden age of silent movies.
   ▪ an independent film/movie a film made by a small film company
   ▪ animated film/movie/cartoon a film with characters that are drawn or made using a computer: One of his first animated films was ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’.
   ▪ anime /ˈænɪmeɪ, -mə/ a type of Japanese animated film, which often has a science fiction story: Miyazaki’s anime film ‘Spirited Away’ became an international success. | an anime character
   ▪ CGI the use of computers to create characters and images in a film: The film uses CGI. | Disney’s latest CGI movie
   ▪ short a short film, usually shown before a longer movie in the cinema: an animated short
   ▪ trailer a series of short scenes from a film or programme, shown in order to advertise it in a cinema, on television etc: We had to sit through all the trailers.