Irony is when we say one thing but mean another, usually the opposite of what we say. When someone makes a mistake and you say, “Oh! that was clever!”, that is irony. You’re saying ‘clever’ to mean ‘not clever’.
Expressions we often use in an ironic fashion are :
1. Oh, wasn’t that clever!/Oh that was clever!
2. You have been a great help, I must say!
3. You’ve got yourself into a lovely mess, haven’t you?
4. Oh, very funny!/ How funny! |
We use a slightly different tone of voice when we use these words ironically. Read the play carefully and find the words and expressions Gerrard uses in an ironic way. Then say what these expressions really mean. Two examples have been given below. Write down three more such expressions along with what they really mean.
| What the author says |
What he means |
Why, this is a surprise,
Mr—er— |
He pretends that the intruder
is a social visitor whom he
is welcoming. In this way he
hides his fear. |
| At last a sympathetic audience! |
He pretends that the intruder
wants to listen to him, whereas
actually the intruder wants to
find out information for his
own use. |
.svg)
.avif){kind=small}
.svg){kind=logo}
