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: -Oh, wasn't that clever! /Oh that was clever! -You have been a great help, I must say! -You've got yourself into a lovely mess, haven't you? - 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 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- At last a sympathetic audience! | He pretends that the intruder is a social visitor whom he is welcoming. In this way he hides his fear. He pretends that the intruder wants to listen to him, whereas the intruder wants to find out information for his own use. |
Which of the words below describe Gerrard and which describe the Intruder?
Smart humorous clever beautiful cool confident flashy witty nonchalant |
Write a paragraph each about Gerrard and the Intruder to show what qualities they have. (You can use some of the words given above.)
Look up the dictionary entries for the words sympathy, familiarity, comfort, care, and surprise. Use the information given in the dictionary and complete the table.
NOUN | ADJECTIVE | ADVERB | VERB | MEANING |
sympathy | ||||
familiarity | ||||
comfort | ||||
care | ||||
surprise |