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In the case of the rule of threes, tension is built with the first two items in the pattern and then released with the final item, which should be the funniest of the three. Just like most comedic writing, the rule of threes in comedy relies on building tension to a comedic release. One particularly notable example comes from The Dick Van Dyke Show – "Can I get you anything? Cup of coffee? Doughnut? Toupee?" As a whole, the comedic rule of threes relies on setting up a pattern of two items and then subverting viewer expectations by breaking that pattern with the third item. The comedic rule of three is often paired with quick timing, ensuring that viewers have less time to catch on to the pattern before the punch line hits. For instance, jokes might feature three stereotyped individuals-such as an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman or a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead-where the surprise or punch line of the joke comes from the third character. The third element of the triple is often used to create an effect of surprise with the audience, and is frequently the punch line of the joke itself. In comedy, the rule of three is also called a comic triple and is one of the many comedic devices regularly used by humorists, writers, and comedians.
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Turn on, tune in, drop out – 1960s counterculture-era phrase popularized by Timothy Leary."see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".Slip-Slop-Slap – Australian sun protection (anti-skin-cancer) campaign.Veni, vidi, vici – A triad translated from Latin as "I came, I saw, I conquered", popularly attributed to Julius Caesar of Rome.Faster, Higher, Stronger – The Olympic motto a translation of the Latin Citius, Altius, Fortius.Stop, Drop and Roll – A fire safety slogan listing the steps to take if one's clothing has caught fire.Stop, Look and Listen – A public road and level crossing safety slogan.A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play – Mars advertising slogan since 1959.
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Ī tricolon is a more specific use of the rule of three where three words or phrases are equal in length and grammatical form. In photography, the rule of thirds produces a similar effect by dividing an image into three vertically and horizontally. The technique is used not just in prose, but also in poetry, oral storytelling, films, and advertising. The three elements together are known as a triad. The rule of three can refer to a collection of three words, phrases, sentences, lines, paragraphs/stanzas, chapters/sections of writing and even whole books. Similarly, adjectives are often grouped in threes to emphasize an idea. Examples include the Three Little Pigs, Three Billy Goats Gruff, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and the Three Musketeers. Slogans, film titles, and a variety of other things have been structured in threes, a tradition that grew out of oral storytelling. The audience of this form of text is also thereby more likely to remember the information conveyed because having three entities combines both brevity and rhythm with having the smallest amount of information to create a pattern. The rule of three is a writing principle that suggests that a trio of entities such as events or characters is more humorous, satisfying, or effective than other numbers. Writing principle The story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears uses the rule of three extensively, with the protagonist examining three sets of three items in a house, finding only the third of each set to be satisfactory
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