Which sentence contains an example of verbal irony?
• "Would you give me a hand moving these boxes upstairs?" Dad asked politely.
• When I stepped outside, the cold air hit me like a ton of bricks—I quickly jumped back inside.
• "I guess this is going to be a group effort," Han said, looking at the full sign-up sheet.
• Seeing the untouched bowls of chili, the chef laughed. "One of my biggest hits!"
Seeing the untouched bowls of chili, the chef laughed. "One of my biggest hits!"
Verbal irony is when someone says something but means the opposite, usually for humorous or sarcastic effect. To identify verbal irony, we need to look for a sentence where the speaker's words convey a different meaning than what is intended.
Let's analyze each sentence to find an example of verbal irony:
1. "Would you give me a hand moving these boxes upstairs?" Dad asked politely.
This sentence does not contain verbal irony as it appears to be a straightforward request.
2. When I stepped outside, the cold air hit me like a ton of bricks—I quickly jumped back inside.
This sentence does not contain verbal irony either. It is a figurative expression describing the impact of the cold air in a literal sense.
3. "I guess this is going to be a group effort," Han said, looking at the full sign-up sheet.
This sentence is an example of verbal irony. Han's statement suggests that he expected a small number of people to sign up, but his observation of the full sign-up sheet indicates the opposite.
4. Seeing the untouched bowls of chili, the chef laughed. "One of my biggest hits!"
This sentence is not an example of verbal irony. It describes the chef's amusement at the unfinished bowls of chili, which can be interpreted literally.
Therefore, the sentence that contains an example of verbal irony is:
"I guess this is going to be a group effort," Han said, looking at the full sign-up sheet.