Irony
Explain
what is
humorous
about this
t-shirt in
one or
more
complete
sentences.
Irony?
You're so vain
You probably think this song is
about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about
you
Don't you? Don't you?
Irony?
But all you are is mean
All you are is mean and a liar and
pathetic and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and
mean
But someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean,
yeah
Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't
hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Today’s Objective
Differentiate among
verbal, situational, and
dramatic irony
Definition: a contrast
between what is
expected and what
actually happens
Situational:
something happens
that we wouldn’t
expect to happen
Example: a fire
station burns
down
Example: a fire
Dramatic: the reader
knows something the
characters do not
Home Alone: We know that
Kevin has planted traps every
where, but the thieves don’t!
station burns down
Verbal – what is said
is different than what
is meant
You tell someone to break a leg but
you mean for them to have good
luck
Type
Definition
Example
Verbal
the contrast between
what is said and
what is meant.
• Sarcasm
• Way
to go,
genius!
• Great! I failed!
•I’m not mad.
Type
Definition
Example
Situational
the contrast between what
happens and what was expected.
• is often humorous (ex. when a
prank backfires on the prankster)
Venza
Elevator
Type
Definition
Example
Dramatic
When we (the reader)
know something the
character(s) does not.
•Because we know
something they don’t,
we read/watch to see
how the character will
react when he/she
learns what we know.
When we know
“who did it”
and the
investigators
don’t.
Or
When we know
a character is
walking into a
prank.
Identify the following examples of irony as
situational, dramatic, or verbal…
1. George breaks a date with his
girlfriend so he can go to a ball
game with the guys. At the
concession stand, he runs into his
girlfriend with another guy.
3. You are watching a horror
movie. You know that the
boogey man is waiting for the
main character in the closet,
but the character doesn’t know
and unknowingly opens the
closet door.
5. As you walk outside into the
pouring rain, your friend
sarcastically comments, “What
lovely weather we’re having
today.”
7. A police station gets robbed.
9. Your date for the school dance
shows up in ripped jeans and a
stained t-shirt. With a smirk, you
say, “Oh! I see you dressed up for
the occasion.”
11. When watching a talk show,
the audience knows why a
person has been brought on the
show. However, the person in
the chair does not know that
they are going to be reunited
with a long lost friend.