Figures of speech: Simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole,

understatement, irony, aphorism, metonymy, synecdoche.

 Irony: This literary device occurs when words are used to convey the opposite
of their meaning or when a situation seems directly contrary to what is
expected. Famously, Alanis Morissette’s song “Ironic” lists many situations she
deems ironic when they aren’t ironic at all; thus, irony.

Giải thích + ví dụ : understatement

Giải thích : An understatement usually has an ironic effect, as an equally intense response is expected in
severe situations, but the statement in response is the opposite of what was expected. For instance,
your friend returns your new coat with a large wine stain on the front of it. In response, you make an
understatement, “It doesn’t look too bad.” Therefore, an understatement is opposite to another figure
of speech, hyperbole, which is an overstatement.

Writers use understatements when they want to create humor, irony, or convey an aspect of
someone’s personality. Someone who continually uses understatements might be perceived as
pessimistic, while someone who uses overstatements might seem optimistic or naive. It’s easy to see the
wide variety of ways in which one might use understatements ironically and in order to create humor.
For instance, saying that a meeting “could’ve been worse” after everything possible went wrong or
saying that a family is “getting along well” after they spent the whole evening fighting.

Ví dụ:

(1) Everyday Real World Understatements

- For example, you win 10 million dollars in a lottery. When you tell a news reporter “I
am delighted,” you are making an understatement.
- You scrape the entire side of your car. A comedic understatement would be: "It is only a small
scratch."
- You get the highest grade in the class. A modest understatement would be: "I did OK on that
test."
(2) Understatement Examples in Literature :
Professor McGonagall is known for her dry humor and use of understatement in the Harry
Potter  series. You can see this in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
“'I think so,' said Professor McGonagall dryly, 'we teachers are rather good at magic, you know.'”

Định nghĩa + giải thích + ví dụ : irony

Định nghĩa: Irony is a literary device in which contradictory statements or situations reveal a reality that
is different from what appears to be true. There are many forms of irony featured in literature. The
effectiveness of irony as a literary device depends on the reader’s expectations and understanding of
the disparity between what “should” happen and what “actually” happens in a literary work. This can be
in the form of an unforeseen outcome of an event, a character’s unanticipated behavior, or something
incongruous that is said.

Giải thích: The most common purpose of irony is to create humor and/or point out the absurdity of
life. As in the all of the examples above, life has a way of contradicting our expectations, often in painful
ways. Irony generally makes us laugh, even when the circumstances are tragic,

Overall, as a literary device, irony functions as a means of portraying a contrast or discrepancy between
appearance and reality. This is effective for readers in that irony can create humor and suspense, as well
as showcase character flaws or highlight central themes in a literary work.

Ví dụ:

• Real Life Examples of Irony

- Sweden’s Icehotel, built of snow and ice, contains fire alarms.

- Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the official name for fear of long words