Recognizing Irony


Lesson 6 

Assignment 5-6


Target


Assignment


Understand your purpose for reading


  • Do you understand irony, and can you find examples?
  • What do you do when you encounter words you do not understand?

    The story you will read in this lesson, “The Perfect World of Ewan McLaughlin”, has vocabulary that you might find difficult, such as flume, sluice gate, and burhstone.  What strategies will help you to understand the meanings of these words?

    • Could you use a dictionary?  A web tool?  Can you check the glossary?  Read in context?
    • Remember to review strategies in the Skill Builder section.

    Irony

    Irony is the use of a word or phrase to mean something different than its literal meaning. Irony is of three types.


    Verbal Irony

    Verbal irony:  The writer says one thing and means another. We sometimes call this sarcasm.
    Example:
        The character says "Oh great!" when something terrible happens.

    Dramatic Irony

    Dramatic irony: The reader sees or knows something, but the character does not.
    Example:
    In a suspenseful movie, the audience knows the killer is in the house but the character does not.


    Situational Irony



    Situational irony: Events happen that are opposite to what was expected or intended.
    Example:
    A student lies about an illness to avoid a test, and then he or she becomes ill.
    Authors use irony intentionally to produce suspense, to produce humour, or to add emphasis.  Sometimes, irony makes a character seem foolish or pathetic. 
    In satire, the author uses irony to make fun of social conventions or conditions, usually to evoke change.