Sec: Irony

An excellent write-up in explaining the different uses of irony.



http://theoatmeal.com/comics/irony

What is the Difference Between Literally and Figuratively?

“Literally" and "figuratively" are words whose primary meanings are opposites. The term "literally," however, also can be used as hyperbole to mean the same as "figuratively." By its main definition, "literally" means that an expression or phrase is not exaggerated or embellished — it means exactly what the words suggest. The definition of "figuratively" is that the words are metaphoric — they are a figure of speech meant to convey something different from their literal meaning. Many words and phrases can be used both literally and figuratively.

Examples of Literal Phrases

A person might use "literally" to emphasize that what is being said is the absolute truth. For example, a man might say, "I literally pass out at the sight of blood" to emphasize that he does not merely get queasy when he sees blood, he actually loses consciousness. A girl might say, "My sister literally took every dress I had in my closet" to emphasize that her sister did not leave a single dress in the closet.

Figures of Speech

When a person says something that is not meant to be taken literally — or meaning exactly what the words say — the phrase is being used figuratively. For example, a boy might say, "When I heard the ice cream truck outside, I flew out the front door and out to the street." Of course, the boy did not fly, he merely ran quickly, so the word "flew" is being used figuratively. When someone says, "I died laughing," he or she did not actually die, so the phrase is only a figure of speech.

When people use figures of speech, they often do not point them out, especially when they are obvious. For example, a woman probably would not say, "I froze to death, figuratively speaking," because if she had actually frozen to death, she would not be speaking. Likewise, the boy who "flew out the front door" would not need to point out that he cannot actually fly. At times, though, it is necessary to include a disclaimer such as "figuratively speaking" to clarify whether something is being said literally or figuratively.

"Literally" as Hyperbole

Confusion sometimes arises when the term "literally" is used as hyperbole, to exaggerate what is being said beyond its literal meaning. Although some people consider this usage of "literally" to be incorrect, this definition does appear in major dictionaries. An example of this usage might be a theater critic who says that an actress "literally stole the show." Adding "literally" emphasizes or exaggerates the fact that the actress was the highlight of the performance, rather than implying that she was guilty of some type of theft. Another example might be a teenage girl who says, "I literally wanted to die when my parents showed up at the party." The word "literally" adds emphasis to the girl's embarrassment rather than implying that she actually had suicidal thoughts.

 

Source:  http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-difference-between-literally-and-figuratively.htm

More interesting reading:  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/figuratively-speaking-what-does-it-mean.html

Comprehension: Answering Inferential Questions

Below are some hilarious jokes.  Why did the fight start for each of them?  If you quote me the sentence just before the phrase 'that when the fight started' , then you deserve a zero.

 

In example 1, why did the fight start?  The fight started not because the wife could order food for herself but because the husband indirectly called his wife 'the mad cow' and made her very upset.

 

Could you also see the dual meanings of 'the mad cow'?

 

Have fun reading the rest of the jokes and answering the question - Why did the fight start?

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 I took my wife to a restaurant.

The waiter, for some reason, took my order first.

"I'll have the rump steak, rare, please."
He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?"
"Nah, she can order for herself."

And that's when the fight started.....

 

________________________________
My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school
reunion, and she kept staring at a drunken man swigging his
drink as he sat alone at a nearby table.

I asked her, "Do you know him?"
"Yes", she sighed,
"He's my old boyfriend. I understand he took to drinking
right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear he
hasn't been sober since."

"My God!" I said, "Who would think a person could go on
celebrating that long?"

And then the fight started...

________________________________

When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run, my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed.
But, somehow I always had something else to take care of first, the shed, the boat,
making beer.. Always something more important to me.

Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point.
When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing
scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into
the house. I was gone only a minute, and when I came out again
I handed her a toothbrush.

I said, "When you finish cutting the
grass, you might as well sweep the driveway."

The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.

_____________________________

My wife sat down next to me as I was flipping channels.
She asked, "What's on TV?"
I said, "Dust."

And then the fight started...

_______________________________

My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary.
She said, "I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3 seconds."

I bought her a bathroom scale.

And then the fight started......

________________________________

My wife was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror.

She was not happy with what she saw and said to me,
"I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you
to pay me a compliment.'

I replied, "Your eyesight's damn near perfect."

And then the fight started........

________________________________

I rear-ended a car this morning...the start of a REALLY bad day!

The driver got out of the other car, and he was a DWARF!!
He looked up at me and said 'I am NOT Happy!'
So I said, 'Well, which one ARE you then?'

That's how the fight started.

________________________________

One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot
as a Christmas gift...

The next year, I didn't buy her a gift.
When she asked me why, I replied,
"Well, you still haven't used the gift I bought you last year!"

And that's how the fight started

Comprehension Strategies for PSLE and O Level: How to get high scores

1) It is vital that a student learns how to skim and scan.
Skimming involves reading to find out the general gist of a passage.  Scanning involves reading to find a specific bit of information.


2) Read the questions in detail, note the keywords.
Skim the passage, note the title and topic.  Then, scan the passage  for the answers.
Finally, read the questions in detail and answer them, taking note of the WH words and the tense in each question.

3) For vocabulary building is for students to make the new words they learn relevant for them.  Instead of creating long, boring lists of vocabulary words, students should be writing the words they learn down in the context they see them.  So if ‘combat’ is a new word and you see the word in a passage about warfare, you should be noting the word down in a sentence that reminds you of the passage you read.  Doing this will help jolt your memory when you come back to review the new words you have learned.

4) If you come across an unknown word during the exam, use the following steps:

A) Check the context of the word
B) Contrast the word with another word or sentence in the paragraph
C) Look for explanation of the word's meaning in the sentence
D) Break the word apart into its more basic form (if it has one)
E) Logic and clues
F) Guess

5) Train yourself to read at least 200 words per minute.

Modified from ieltsielts.com

Inferential Question: Why did the judge tell the lawyers not to ask the old lady whether she knew him?