1

Lesson Plan for Irony

Warmup Stage
First of all, I’ll try to grab my students’ attention by introducing a joke that will be in fact an
introduction to my topic. I will show them a picture. The picture is basically about irony. In
the picture, it is hailing and there are two people. One of them is saying that it is nice
weather, other says in an ironical way that why don’t it hails every day. Then I’ll ask them
about it that what idea this picture coveys. Then I’ll show them different pictures of irony I’ll
ask them about their guesses of irony. After this I’ll ask them to come up with different
examples.
Presentation Stage
Now I’ll tell them about irony and I’ll explain it in detail. I’ll give them different examples of
irony that will help them to understand it. So, after this I’ll further discuss different types of
irony with its examples. Throughout this stage, I’ll check whether my students are interested
or not. I will tell them different jokes related to my topic that will grab their attentions. At the
end of this stage they will be supposed to ask any question related to my topic.
Board Summary
Irony
Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning
is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up
in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference
between the appearance and the reality.
 I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.
 The name of Britain’s biggest dog was “Tiny”.
 You laugh at a person who slipped stepping on a banana peel and the next thing you
know, you slipped too.
 The butter is as soft as a marble piece.
 “Oh great! Now you have broken my new camera.”
 In the Greek drama “Oedipus Rex” written by “Sophocles”,
“Upon the murderer, I invoke this curse – whether he is one man and all unknown,
Or one of many – may he wear out his life in misery to miserable doom!”
Different Types of irony
Verbal Irony
Verbal Irony is when words express something contrary to truth or someone says the opposite
of what they really feel or mean. Verbal irony is often sarcastic.
 He's as nice as a lion to his prey.
 2

 Looking at her son's messy room, Mom says, "Wow, you could win an award for
cleanliness!"
 On the way to school, the school bus gets a flat tire and the bus driver says,
"Excellent! This day couldn't start off any better!"
 “She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me”. (Pride & Prejudice by Jane
Austen)
Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something the characters do not. Because of
this understanding, the words of the characters take on a different meaning. This can create
intense suspense or humour.
 Two 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.
 In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo thinks Juliet is dead and the audience knows she is not.
Situational Irony
This type of irony may occur when the outcome of a certain situation is completely different
than what was initially expected. It is often referred to as an “irony of events.”
 Ralph wakes up late and thinks he is going to be late to school. After rushing around
to get dressed, he realizes it is Saturday.
 The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin tells of a wife who learns that her husband is
dead. She feels a sense of freedom as she thinks about a life without restriction. Then
he returns (he wasn't dead after all) and she dies of shock.
 In the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge, the men are surrounded by an ocean
of water, but they are dying of thirst ("Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to
drink.")
Function of Irony
Like all other figures of speech, Irony brings about some added meanings to a situation.
Ironical statements and situations in literature develop readers’ interest. Irony makes a work
of literature more intriguing and forces the readers to use their imagination and comprehend
the underlying meanings of the texts. Moreover, real life is full of ironical expressions and
situations. Therefore, the use of irony brings a work of literature closer to the life.
Practice Stage
After them detailed lecture on irony, I’ll give them different activities on irony which will
help them a lot to understand. For example, I’ll ask to write different example of these three
types. I’ll also give them a table in which they will see examples and will write the proper
answer. At the end, I’ll ask them to divide in groups and create a situational irony.
 3

Activity 1

Write the correct answer

1. Sara is trying to avoid a water gun fight that her brothers are having and she falls into
a puddle. _____________________
2. The fire station burns down while the firemen are out on a call.
_____________________
3. In "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, a woman borrows what she thinks is a
costly necklace from a friend and loses it. She and her husband sacrifice to replace it,
only to learn years later that the necklace was a fake. _____________________
4. Today was a very cold and bitter day, as cold and bitter as a cup of hot chocolate, if
the cup of hot chocolate had vinegar added to it and were placed in a refrigerator for
several hours _____________________
5. A mother with three noisy children has been waiting in line at the market. When it is
her turn, the cashier asks if she would mind waiting while she runs to the restroom.
The mother says, "Of course not-why in the world would you think I would mind?"
_____________________
6. In Beauty and the Beast, an animated Disney movie, Belle refuses to marry Gaston by
saying "I just don't deserve you!" _____________________
7. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Marc Antony gives a speech in which he repeatedly
refers to Brutus as "an honourable man," when Brutus just participated in murdering
Caesar. _____________________
8. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare Macbeth appears to be loyal to Duncan but he is
planning Duncan's murder. Duncan doesn't know Macbeth's plans but the audience
knows what is going to happen. _____________________
9. In a horror movie, you realize that if a character walks into an abandoned warehouse,
chances are the killer is waiting... _____________________
Activity 2
Directions: Create irony by completing each sentence with an ironic thought or idea.
Example A: I posted a video on YouTube about __________________.
Answer: I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.
1. The name of America’s biggest dog was _____________________.
2. I cannot go to Church because I have a ____________________ test to study for.
3. I just posted about how useless Facebook is on _______________________.
4. The Titanic was promoted as unsinkable but ________________________ in 1912.
 4

5. I am so glad it has started raining, but ____________________________________.

6. This is just what I needed, ________________________________.
7. The girl loves to tan, _____________________________________.

Productivity Stage
In this stage, student will be invited in groups and they will have dialogues of situational and
dramatic irony. Some of them will be ask to come and write different examples of irony on
board.
Activity 1
Students will be asked to come in groups or pair and to have dialogues based on irony.
Activity 2
Some of the students will be asked come on the stage and to write different examples of all
types of irony.
 5

Refences

https://literarydevices.net/irony/
http://softschools.com/examples/grammar/verbal_irony_examples/122/
http://www.softschools.com/examples/grammar/situational_irony_examples/465/
https://www.thoughtco.com/situational-irony-1692521
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/what-is-irony-with-examples/