Irony Classification

Classify 6 irony examples as VERBAL, DRAMATIC, or SITUATIONAL. Justify in 1 sentence each. (1) 'The fire station burned down.' (2) Romeo thinks Juliet is dead; audience knows she's drugged. (3) Douglass: 'What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?' (4) Adichie: 'I was very fortunate to find myself in the very fortunate position...' (5) A character searches for keys he's already holding (audience sees). (6) The lifeguard couldn't swim.

1. Verbal: said-vs-meant gap. Dramatic: audience knows more than character. Situational: outcome opposite of expectation.
2. Sarcasm is one type of verbal irony, not all.

• Calls all irony 'verbal'.
• Confuses dramatic and situational.

• Lesson 15 · Verbal irony three-distinction + verbal...