Finally, the author finds out that the charming of verbal humor by interpreting it with CP and the maxims. A detailed research on verbal humor explains underlying meaning of human beings, and forces people to improve the ability of communication in people’ life by using cooperative principle. In this way, verbal humor of human beings will be promoted day by day.

The main contents of the paper comprises four chapters. Chapter one is an introduction of paper topic. It gives some research background, then gives the reasons for the study and outline of the paper. Chapter two is the theoretical framework, which includes the definition of humor and an overview of cooperative principle. Chapter three gives a particular analysis of humor in Modern Family based on the detailed conversation in the show. Chapter four gives a general conclusion.

II. Theoretical Framework

Because of the relationship between verbal humor and language, the generation of humor is close to the the rules of language. The related theory and the Cooperative Principle, which are discussed in the next part as theoretical framework.

2.1 The Definition of Humor

Humor is arts of social contact. Thanks to humor characters, it can reduce the embarrassment and help people adapt to the surrounding.

Humor is a long study matter. The original theory of humor dated back to ancient Greece, which developed constantly in the later centuries. The topic of humor appeals to various scholars from all kinds of disciplines. It shows multi-angle study about humor. Scholars in such fields as literature, philosophy and linguists’ anthropology, which make great efforts on verbal humor.

In Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary, Humor refers to: The mental ability of appreciating or absurdly unmatch, something was regarded to be amusing or funny(Webster, 2007).

It also has other explains: The tendency or capability to believe something is amusing, or the amusing thing indicating you possess the power, the peculiarity in certain things that you make human beings laugh.

Although all kinds of explanations are illustrated in different version dictionaries,  we also can find that something is in common, and the innate character of humor is focused on the amusing things.

2.2 Cooperative Principle

   Herbert Paul Grice was a famous American linguist who put forward Cooperative Principle, and which weighs much in pragmatic linguistic. He put forward four maxim types: quantity, quality, relation and manner. His original notions were put forward in Logic and Conversation in 1975, and he supposed that participants should give proper information in the real conversation.

Quantity maxim can be pided into two points. They are: (1)Try to let your conversation as enough as needed. (2)Do not make your conversation more sufficient  than is needed.