Irony Notes (Types of Irony) 1. Situational Irony  Definition: Situational Irony occurs when the exact opposite of what is expected to happen, happens.  An example would be when someone buys a gun to protect himself, but the same gun is used by another individual to injure him. One would expect that the gun would keep him safe, but it has actually caused him injury.  There is, however, a difference between situational irony and coincidence or bad luck.  When someone washes his car and it rains, that is just bad luck; nothing led him or her to think that it would not rain. However, when a TV weather presenter gets caught in an unexpected storm, it is ironic because he or she is expected to know the exact weather changes.  For situational irony to occur there has to be something that leads a person to think that a particular event or situation is unlikely to happen.  Often used to create humor and draw the reader into the work. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqg6RO8c_W0 2. Verbal Irony  Definition: Verbal irony occurs when speakers say the opposite of what they mean.  Overstatement – when a person exaggerates the character of something  Understatement – when a person undermines the character of something  All sarcasm is verbal irony, but not all verbal irony is sarcasm.  Examples include: soft like concrete, clear like mud, pleasant as a root canal Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiR-bnCHIYo

3. Dramatic Irony  Definition: Dramatic Irony occurs when the audience is aware of something that the characters in the story are not aware of.  Popular in works of art such as movies, books, poems and plays  An example of dramatic irony is in a movie where a detective does not know that the criminal responsible for the crimes in the city is his partner. The audience, however, is already aware of this fact and waits anxiously to know what will happen once the character finds out what they already know.  Used to create intense emotions and build suspense and tension Draws in the reader or audience Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZFYuX84n1U