Irony, Types & Examples

Three Types of Irony

•Verbal Irony•Situational Irony•Dramatic Irony

Verbal Irony

• Saying one thing, but meaning something else.

• Example: “Nice clean water you’ve got here.” When standing on the edge of a polluted river.

Situational Irony• Situational Irony: Occurs when a

situation turns out to be just the opposite of what we expected.

• For example: When John Hinkley attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, all of his shots initially missed the President; however a bullet ricocheted off the bullet-proof windows of the Presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest. Thus, the windows made to protect the President from gunfire were partially responsible for his being shot.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience or reader knows something the that characters do not know.

For example: In an action movie, we know, but the heroine doesn’t know that the elevator cables have been cut on the elevator she’s entering.

How is this ironic?

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