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By the end of this topic, students will be able to:
Irony is a literary device in which there is a discrepancy or incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs. There are three main types of irony:
For example, in the phrase "What a beautiful day!" said on a rainy day, the speaker's words convey a meaning that is opposite of their literal meaning, making it an example of verbal irony.
Hyperbole is a literary device in which an exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect. It is often used to create a strong impression or to make a point more forcefully. For example, "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole elephant!" is an exaggeration used to convey the speaker's extreme hunger.
Alliteration is a literary device in which words that are close together in a sentence or phrase start with the same sound. It is often used to create a musical or rhythmic effect. For example, "She sells seashells by the seashore" is a famous example of alliteration.
Read the following passage: "The fire station caught on fire last night." Identify the type of irony used in this passage.
Answer: This is an example of situational irony, as the fire station is a place where fires are supposed to be prevented, not caught.
Read the following sentence: "I'm so tired I could sleep for a week!" Identify the literary device used in this sentence.
Answer: This is an example of hyperbole, as the speaker is not actually capable of sleeping for a week, but is using an exaggeration to convey their extreme tiredness.
Read the following phrase: "Fluffy felines frolic in the forest." Identify the literary device used in this phrase.
Answer: This is an example of alliteration, as the words "frolic", "felines", and "forest" all start with the "f" sound.
What type of irony is used in the following passage: "The fire station caught on fire last night."?
A) Verbal irony B) Situational irony C) Dramatic irony D) Irony of fate
Answer: B) Situational irony Why the distractors fail: A) Verbal irony is when the words used convey a meaning that is opposite of their literal meaning, which is not the case here. C) Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters in the text do not, which is not the case here. D) Irony of fate is not a recognized type of irony.
What is the literary device used in the following sentence: "I'm so tired I could sleep for a week!"?
A) Metaphor B) Simile C) Hyperbole D) Alliteration
Answer: C) Hyperbole Why the distractors fail: A) Metaphor is when one thing is compared to another, which is not the case here. B) Simile is when one thing is compared to another using "like" or "as", which is not the case here. D) Alliteration is when words that are close together in a sentence or phrase start with the same sound, which is not the case here.
What is the literary device used in the following phrase: "Fluffy felines frolic in the forest."?
A) Alliteration B) Assonance C) Consonance D) Onomatopoeia
Answer: A) Alliteration Why the distractors fail: B) Assonance is when words that are close together in a sentence or phrase have the same vowel sound, which is not the case here. C) Consonance is when words that are close together in a sentence or phrase have the same consonant sound, which is not the case here. D) Onomatopoeia is when a word imitates the sound it describes, which is not the case here.
What type of irony is used in the following passage: "The politician who campaigned on a platform of honesty was caught lying."?
Answer: A) Verbal irony Why the distractors fail: B) Situational irony is when the opposite of what is expected to happen occurs, which is not the case here. C) Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters in the text do not, which is not the case here. D) Irony of fate is not a recognized type of irony.
What is the literary device used in the following sentence: "I'm so excited I could jump out of my skin!"?
Explain the difference between verbal irony and situational irony. Provide examples of each.
Answer: Verbal irony is when the words used convey a meaning that is opposite of their literal meaning. For example, "What a beautiful day!" said on a rainy day is an example of verbal irony. Situational irony is when the opposite of what is expected to happen occurs. For example, "The fire station caught on fire last night" is an example of situational irony.
Explain the literary device of alliteration. Provide an example of alliteration in a sentence.
Answer: Alliteration is when words that are close together in a sentence or phrase start with the same sound. For example, "She sells seashells by the seashore" is a famous example of alliteration.
Explain the literary device of hyperbole. Provide an example of hyperbole in a sentence.
Answer: Hyperbole is when an exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect. For example, "I'm so tired I could sleep for a week!" is an example of hyperbole.
Explain the difference between metaphor and simile. Provide examples of each.
Answer: Metaphor is when one thing is compared to another without using "like" or "as". For example, "He is a lion on the battlefield" is a metaphor. Simile is when one thing is compared to another using "like" or "as". For example, "He runs like a cheetah" is a simile.
Explain the literary device of dramatic irony. Provide an example of dramatic irony in a passage.
Answer: Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters in the text do not. For example, in the passage "Oedipus Rex", the audience knows that Oedipus has killed his father and married his mother, but Oedipus himself does not know this. This is an example of dramatic irony.
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