What literary device pertains to this sentence?
1. The smashed hulk of metal, twisted and shaped into awkward, unlikely angles, lay on its side; one rear wheel spun slowly. Ruefully, the man said to his companion, "i'll bet i finally got rid of that squeak in the dashboard."
irony
A method of humorous or subtly sarcastic expression which is used to explain the direct opposite of what a word means or what actually happens in a story.
The literary device used in this sentence is irony. Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning. It often involves a contrast between what is said and what is actually meant or what is expected to happen and what actually happens.
To identify irony in a sentence, you need to examine the context and analyze the difference between what is being said and what is actually happening or intended to be understood. In this case, the irony is evident when the man says, "I'll bet I finally got rid of that squeak in the dashboard" after his car has been wrecked. The statement is ironic because the car is in a terrible condition, which is far from getting rid of a minor squeak in the dashboard. The use of irony adds humor and creates a contrast between the man's expectation and the reality of the situation.
When analyzing a sentence for literary devices like irony, it's crucial to consider the overall context, the author's intention, and the effect it has on the reader.