(Verbal, Dramatic, Situational) Irony Examples & Definitions

Occurs when what is said differs from what is meant.

Occurs when you know what is going to happen to fictional character, but he or she doesn’t know.

Occurs when an event turns out to be totally unexpected.

Is a contrast, or difference, between what is expected and what happens or between what is spoken and what is meant.

Antigravity Boy finds that his superpowers are useless against MoleMouth, whose evil deeds are performed entirely underground.

You leave class early and race home to get to the baseball game on time. When you arrive, it begins to rain and the game is delayed for hours.

If you have to help with housework instead of going shopping with friends, you may tell your mother, “I just love doing house work instead going shopping.” Although you say you love housework, you mean something different.

In the story about the “Titanic,” the passengers are enjoying themselves. Suspense is created by the irony that the ship and passenger are doomed.

You stand to give you speech, and your mind goes blank. You stumble through, making it up as you go. You know its awful. Afterward, a friend snickers and says, “uh…. great speech.

You tell your Mom that you’ll ride the bus home from school. Instead, you walk to a friend’s house.

As you cross the street to your friends house, you look up and see your Mom’s car in the driveway

There are three basic kinds of irony- Situational Irony, Verbal irony, and Dramatic Irony.

You’re watching a movie where the beach is closed because of a shark sighting. You know the shark is lurking not far from shore. Then, you see a family run into the waves, unaware of the danger.

A movie you’re watching shows a train full of happy vacationers barreling down the tracks. You know that a railroad bridge has been destroyed a few miles ahead of them.

A writers attitude or feeling about a place, event, or character are revealed through his or her choice of words is called tone.

Irony is a literary technique and rhetoric device that has been used for many years in speech, art and everyday life.

A fire station burns down

The marriage counselor files for divorce

wo people are engaged to be married but the audience knows that the man is planning to run away with another woman.

In a scary movie, the character walks into a house and the audience knows the killer is in the house.

Saying “Oh, fantastic!” when the situation is actually very poor.