3. Purpose of Using Irony
People often use irony either to
1. bring fun in the conversation
OR
2. explain something which is
totally contrary.
4. Definition of Irony
• Irony is a rhetorical device or a
literary technique, or even
situation, which refers to a sharp
disagreement or discordance that
is expressed beyond the evident
intention of words used.
6. Forms of Irony
• Irony can be verbal, where the
person says something which
is exactly opposite to what
he/she really wanted to
communicate.
E.g. soft as concrete
7. Forms of Irony
• Irony can also be dramatic, where
one of the characters is unaware
of what is happening around,
whereas the spectators know
exactly what's going on.
• This concept is often related to
plays.
8. Forms of Irony
Romeo returns to Verona and he
finds Juliet drugged, in a death-like
sleep. He assumes she is dead and
kills himself. When Juliet wakes up
and finds him dead, she kills herself
with his knife.
~ Romeo and Juliet
9. Forms of Irony
• Irony can be situational as
well, if the actual result
appears to be just opposite to
what is really expected.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Importance of Irony
• Ironies have become an integral
part of regular communication.
• Though both irony and sarcasm
appear to be overlapping, both of
them are totally different
concepts.
16. Day 1 – 19/08/13
1. One of the identical twins says to the
other, “You‟re ugly!”
This is an ironic statement which surprises one because the
twin who called his/her other twin „ugly‟ is in actual fact
insulting him/herself since both of them are supposed to look
the same.
2. I saw a fish drowning.
This statement is ironic because as a matter of fact, fish live
in water and cannot possibly drown. However, the speaker
actually saw a fish drowning, or so he claims.
17. Day 2 – 20/08/13
1. Titanic, which was touted as „100%
unsinkable‟, sank on its maiden voyage.
This is an example of a coincidental irony. With a
construction that was reputed to be the best of the best, the
Titanic was deemed „unsinkable‟. However, it sank in the
North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an
iceberg during her maiden voyage, causing the deaths of
more than 1, 500 people.
2. Most tobacco company executives do
not smoke.
We would assume that people who work in tobacco
companies are also smokers, otherwise, why would they join
a company that sells cigarettes? Hence, this statement
presents a stark irony by telling us that in actual fact, most of
the employees in tobacco companies don‟t smoke!
18. Day 3 – 21/08/13
1. A ninety-eight year old man won the
lottery and died the next day.
The irony here lies in the fact that the old man won the
lottery but did not get to spend anything he had won (due to
his death). What makes it even more ironic is that he was
doing well and fine – until he actually won the lottery and
then died.
2. Never argue with a fool. People
might not know the difference.
If a person thinks that he is a lot more intelligent than
someone who is not very clever and engages in an argument
just to prove that he is correct, he only ends up looking like a
fool himself.
19. Day 4 – 22/08/13
1. A girl was going on about how she
would not hurt animals when I noticed
she was wearing a leather belt.
An animal lover would never use products which were made
by causing harm to animals. The girl who claimed she would
not hurt animals was wearing something that came from an
animal, thus the irony.
2. My classmate just posted a video about
how boring and useless Facebook is on
Facebook!
This statement is ironic because when the speaker‟s
classmate shares with everybody she knows on Facebook
that Facebook is useless, he or she is implying just the
opposite.
20. Day 5 – 23/08/13
1. as useful as wet newspaper
E.g. Without any battery, this camera is as
useful as wet newspaper.
2. as useful as a chocolate teapot / as much
use as a chocolate teapot
E.g. He was as much use as a chocolate
teapot during the group presentation.
21. Day 6 – 26/08/13
1. as cuddly as a cactus
E.g. The mischievous boy is as cuddly as a
cactus.
2. as smooth as sandpaper
E.g. That man‟s complexion is as smooth as
sandpaper.
22. Day 7 – 27/08/13
1. as discreet as an earthquake
E.g. During our preparation for Grandma‟s surprise
birthday party yesterday, our youngest sister,
Jeanine was as discreet as an earthquake.
2. as subtle as a sledgehammer
E.g. The environmental message in the movie,
Furry Vengeance is as subtle as a
sledgehammer.
23. Day 8 – 28/08/13
1. as welcome as a fox in a hen house
E.g. The new manager felt as welcome as a
fox in a hen house on his first day of
work.
2. as popular as a 4 a.m. car alarm
E.g. The director‟s decision for everyone to
start work an hour earlier was as popular
as a 4 a.m. car alarm.
24. Day 9 – 29/08/13
1. as truthful as a man with a second-hand
car
E.g. Do not believe a word that Tim says. He is
as truthful as a man with a second-hand car.
2. as scientific as a cosmetic advertisement
E.g. Where did you get this information from? It is
as scientific as a cosmetic advertisement.
25. Day 10 – 30/08/13
1. as accurate as a blind archer
E.g. Jack is as accurate as a blind archer – he
has been missing every shot since the start
of the game!
2. as precise as a drunk surgeon
E.g. Lawson is as precise as a drunk surgeon
when it comes to doing calculations, which
is why he always does badly for his
Mathematics tests.
