Great weather we're having! Awesome job! You're a tremendous athlete! Compliments, right? Well, maybe. Depending on the attitude and tone of voice behind these lines, they very well may be compliments. They may also be, though, pointed and attacking lines. This slight change of attitude behind the lines reveals what we call verbal irony. So when someone says, "Great weather we're having," it is quite possible that the person really means that if the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the wind is calm. But if the weather is horrible, the clouds are looming, and the wind is a raging tempest, and someone says, "Great weather we're having," he probably doesn't actually mean that. He probably means that the weather is horrible, but he has said the opposite. This is verbal irony when the speaker says the opposite of what he means. I know what you're thinking. Isn't this sarcasm, isn't the speaker being sarcastic? Yes. When a speaker says the opposite of what he means, that is verbal irony. When a speaker then goes the step farther to mean the opposite of what he says and seeks to be a little pointed and mean, like he's making fun of something, then you have sarcasm. Take the second example: "Awesome job!" Someone accomplishing his life-long dream: awesome! Someone winning a sports championship: awesome! Someone rear-ends another car: not awesome. So when the passenger says, "Awesome job!" they probably mean the opposite with a hint of poking fun. That is verbal irony and that is sarcastic. "You're a talented athlete," said to an Olympian: authentic, no verbal irony present. Said to the klutzy kid tripping into English class and spilling his books and pencil case all over the room, now that is just harsh and verbally ironic because what you said is not what you meant. That is verbal irony. You have said the opposite of what you mean. Additionally, since you have the intention of mocking this poor person, you have not only been verbally ironic, but sarcastic as well. Beware, though. While all sarcasm fits the definition of verbal irony, not all verbal irony is sarcastic. Verbal irony is where what is meant is the opposite of what is said, while sarcasm adds that little punch of attitude. There are times, though, where another layer of meaning can be present without that sarcastic tone. Alright, now go out there and find those examples of verbal irony and sarcasm. Good luck! No, seriously, I mean it, good luck. No, no, really, I truly want to wish you luck on this difficult task. Ok, ok, sincerely good luck. You can do it! No verbal irony here.
Cuacanya bagus, ya! Kerja hebat! Kau atlet yang luar biasa! Itu pujian, bukan? Ya, bisa jadi. Tergantung gelagat dan nada suara di baliknya, mungkin kalimat itu memang pujian. Namun bisa juga, sebuah kalimat tajam dan menyerang. Sedikit saja perubahan gelagat di balik kalimat tadi adalah apa yang kita sebut ironi verbal. Jadi saat seseorang berkata, "Cuacanya bagus, ya," bisa jadi maksudnya memang begitu. Matahari bersinar, burung-burung berkicau, dan angin yang tenang. Namun jika cuacanya buruk, awan menggantung, dan angin bertiup kencang, lalu seseorang berkata, "Cuacanya bagus, ya," mungkin makna sesungguhnya bukan seperti itu. Mungkin dia ingin bilang cuacanya buruk, tetapi dia mengatakan sebaliknya. Inilah ironi verbal ketika si pembicara mengatakan kebalikan yang dia maksud. Aku tahu pikirmu. Bukankah ini sarkasme, si pembicara sedang sarkastis, bukan? Memang. Saat pembicara mengatakan kebalikan dari yang dimaksud, itulah ironi verbal. Jika pembicara melangkah lebih jauh untuk menekankan kebalikan itu karena ingin sedikit tajam dan kejam, seolah mencemooh sesuatu, itulah sarkasme. Coba lihat contoh kedua: "Kerja hebat!" Seseorang mencapai cita-citanya: hebat! Seseorang memenangkan kompetisi olah raga: hebat! Seseorang menabrak bagian belakang mobil: tidak hebat. Jadi ketika si penumpang berkata, "Kerja hebat!" bisa jadi maksudnya sebaliknya dengan nada bergurau. Itu ironi verbal dan juga sarkastis. "Kau atlet berbakat," ke seorang atlet Olimpiade: benar, tak ada ironi verbal. Ke anak ceroboh yang tersandung di kelas bahasa Inggris dan menjatuhkan buku dan pensilnya ke seluruh ruangan, itu namanya kasar dan ironis secara verbal karena yang kau maksud malah sebaliknya. Itulah ironi verbal. Mengatakan kebalikan maksud sebenarnya. Kemudian, karena kau bermaksud mencemooh orang malang ini, kau tak hanya ironis secara verbal, tetapi juga sarkastis. Waspadalah, ini sulit. Walau definisi sarkasme cocok dengan ironi verbal, tidak semua ironi verbal itu sarkastis. Ironi verbal adalah saat yang dimaksud adalah kebalikan yang diucapkan, sementara sarkasme menambah sedikit sentilan di dalamnya. Namun, ada kalanya, ada arti lain yang timbul tanpa nada sarkastis. Baik, sekarang pergilah dan cari contoh ironi verbal serta sarkasme. Semoga beruntung! Aku serius, semoga beruntung. Tidak, tidak, serius, aku benar-benar berharap kau berhasil melakukan tugas sulit ini. Oke, semoga beruntung. Kau pasti bisa! Tidak ada ironi verbal di sini.