"Jokes apart" or "Joking apart"

 • Jokes apart, the women actually called to ask about the fee.

A lot of idioms are fixed, so fixed that altering them would render them non-standard. Every culture  has its idioms that should not be altered except the idiom itself gives room for such and it is grammatically acceptable. Therefore, the above sentence is marred by the use of ‘Jokes’. When corrected,  the above sentence will be:

• Joking apart, the women actually called to ask about the fee.

It is also correct to say joking aside. 

ELW Team


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