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What is verbal irony? - Christopher Warner

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At face value, the lines between verbal irony, sarcasm, and compliments can be blurry. After all, the phrase 'That looks nice' could be all three depending on the circumstances. In the final of a three part series on irony, Christopher Warner gets into the irony you may use most often and most casually: verbal irony.

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  • Animator Ben Pearce
  • Educator Christopher Warner
  • Narrator Christopher Warner
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When is verbal irony useful? Is it ever harmful?

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Avatar for Barry Gohn
Lesson completed

Verbal irony can be useful in situation as a conversation with someone and trying to make a point or a joke. Verbal irony can be harmful in a situation as if someone were to say “looking fit!” To a guy who’s fat or unfit.


Avatar for Ken Asilo
Lesson completed

Depending on the context and the situation, verbal irony can be very useful and dangerous at the same time. This is due to the context the audience has about the ironic statement is poking fun of; it often causes more harm than good.


Avatar for Jasmine Johnson
Lesson completed

Verbal irony can be useful and harmful at the same time because certain situations are based on the way something is said.


Avatar for Nate Willenbrock
Lesson completed

Verbal irony can be used in different ways the ways he or her can say in different ways and it can come off good or bad and can affect the way you say it.


Avatar for Camila Vega
Lesson completed

Verbal irony is useful in many ways. Such as bringing up a mood in a conversation. It can be harmful or come off rude when using a direct tone in voice.


Avatar for Nathan Chang
Lesson completed

Verbal Irony is very useful to add some more enthusiasm to what is said. Using verbal irony is a helpful way to sometimes express different situations. Although it can be used harmfully by how you use your tone, many will laugh it off and go along and let it be.


Avatar for Estrella Gonzalez
Lesson completed

Verbal irony is useful to make a joke lightheartedly, and to add humour to situation. It's harmful when you know you have bad intentions and say it anyways.


Avatar for Arianna Mendoza
Lesson completed

Verbal irony does not create any harm. Verbal irony is useful when to used bring humor to a situation, foreshadow events to come or introduce a sense of foreboding.


Avatar for Valeria Aguilar Magana
Lesson completed

Verbal irony is useful when you want to make a light joke on a situation, it's harmful when you say it in a rude tone or don't use it correctly.


Avatar for Sayra Diaz
Lesson completed

Verbal irony is practical when having a humor conversation with someone. It is harmful when saying it in a rude tone to someone.

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