Learn about sarcasm with this online English learning course!
Your online English learning course today will help you learn about sarcasm in English.
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How to recognise sarcasm!
Sarcasm is an important part of language; and it’s often used in English. But what is it, exactly?
Mini-dialogues
First of all, listen to these two mini-dialogues. Can you notice a difference in B’s response?
- A: So, how was the trip?
B: Great!
- A: So, how was the trip?
B: Great!
Intonation change
The words are the same, but the intonation changes. In the first mini-dialogue, speaker B’s intonation goes up slightly, and he sounds excited. So, we can assume that when he says “great” he actually means… “great”.
However, in the second mini-dialogue, speaker B’s intonation goes down a bit, and he doesn’t really sound excited or happy about the trip. So, we can probably determine that when he says “great”, he actually means “not great”.
A good example
This is an example of sarcasm – saying the opposite to what you really mean. It’s a form of speaking that’s quite typical in many English-speaking countries, and it’s important to be able to recognise it. So, why do people use sarcasm? Well, basically it can be a form of humour. Other times it can be used to hurt or attack people, or make them feel stupid.
Here are some more examples of sarcasm. Notice how speaker B is using sarcasm to say the opposite of what he really means.
-
At home
A: I love this song!
B: Yeah, me too. [meaning: “I hate it!”]
At the airport
A: The plane’s cancelled again.
B: This is going to be fun. [meaning: “it isn’t going to be fun!”]
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