LITOTES

AND IRONY
LITOTES
 LITOTES
• Litotes is a figure of speech featuring a phrase
that utilizes negative wording or terms to
express a positive assertion or statement.
• Litotes is a common literary device, most often
used in speech, rhetoric, and nonfiction.
• Litotes is a device used to state an affirmative
without direct use of affirmative wording.
Litotes is commonly used as an understatement or ironic figure
of speech. It is a successful device in that it affirms a positive
statement or sentiment typically through the use of double
negatives.
 The novel is not bad.
Common You’re not wrong.

Examples I can’t disagree with your logic.

My feelings are not unhurt.

of Litotes He is hardly unattractive.

That lesson is not hard.
My car was not cheap.
I won’t argue with the referee.
Visiting family is not uncommon.
The results are not inaccurate.
That compliment is not unwelcome.
 PURPOSE OF LITOTES
• Litotes are a way to actually emphasize the positive by using a
double negative.
• Litotes causes the listener to think and consider the statement.
• Litotes are also a way to skirt an issue or to try to save face.
IRONY
 IRONY
• Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the
surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or
to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary
technique.
• Irony can be categorized into different types, including verbal
irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony.
Quick Reminder of What Irony Is
A contrast between expectation and
reality.
 TYPES OF IRONY
• Verbal Irony is when a speaker says one thing but means something
entirely different. The literal meaning is at odds with the intended
meaning.
• Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something that the
characters don’t.
• Situational Irony is when what happens is the opposite of what you
expect.
• Socratic Irony is when a person feigns ignorance in order to get
another to admit to knowing or doing something. It is named after
Socrates, the Greek philosopher, who used this technique to tease
information out of his students.
Irony Examples in Real Life
Irony works so well in literature because it is
so common in real life. Have you ever found
yourself saying “well that’s ironic” to a
situation in your life?

You could be talking about verbal, situational,

or dramatic irony. Let’s take a look at a few
everyday examples of each type.
Examples of situational irony include :

•A fire station burns down.

This is unexpected because one would assume the fire
chief would keep his own building safe.
•A marriage counselor files for divorce.
This is ironic because the expectation is that a
professional who coaches couples through rough
patches would herself have a strong marriage.
• An English teacher has poor grammar.
You'd expect an English teacher to be an expert in grammar. It would be quite
ironic if they couldn't actually use proper grammar.
• A child runs away from someone throwing a water balloon at him and falls into
the pool.
This is ironic because the child ends up wetter than he would have been,
thwarting his expectations of what would happen when he ran away from the
water balloon.
• The police station gets robbed.
Again, the expectation is that professional crime fighters would be able to help
themselves; in this case, by securing their own station.
Verbal Irony Examples:

• 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!“
• Mark is very upset over the fact that his brand new truck has a
little speck of mud on the bumper, and Jennifer, who has a used
car, says, "My goodness! That's a shame!"
• 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?"

• A small child does not flush the toilet, and the mother says, "I
really appreciate when you flush the toilet! Thank you for
remembering your manners!"
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR
ATTENTION