Irony vs Sarcasm - What's the difference?

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  • Опубліковано 5 жов 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 98

  • @SlowEasyEnglish
    @SlowEasyEnglish  3 роки тому +16

    Hey everyone, PLEASE READ THIS COMMENT! I feel that I didn't express myself as clearly as I should have. In my examples, I said "Is it sarcasm? It depends on the context if the person is truly insulting you or just making a lighthearted joke." To be clear, the statement IS sarcasm either way. However, if it's just a lighthearted joke, we would not typically accuse the person of "being sarcastic". Yes, they ARE being sarcastic but normally we wouldn't really call it sarcasm unless it was somewhat insulting. We would just call it a joke. As always, the rules aren't always 100% black and white. :)

    • @higurashianduminekoconnect1702
      @higurashianduminekoconnect1702 3 роки тому

      Ernie can also be considered contradicting and can also be used as sarcasm after someone contradicts something let me give you an example and yes sarcasm can be used to say the opposite of what you mean as an insult someone makes a video a sports team and they say how they like that sports team and that and then they say how the best but they're being sarcastic the whole time and then in the mid-range to the video they say sike say how bad that team is and then all the sudden that team that he's saying it too interrupt truly becoming the best team ironic and can be turned into sarcasm as people can then turn around and be sarcastic about the fact he was stupid enough to be sarcastic

    • @higurashianduminekoconnect1702
      @higurashianduminekoconnect1702 3 роки тому

      And if they are wrong about climate change so you can thin tell the person maybe you shouldn't have called them and tell them maybe your sarcasm was valid and wasn't done in ignorance arrogance just watch How It's suddenly changes to them feeling like they're getting the sarcasm on them little bit of irony

    • @higurashianduminekoconnect1702
      @higurashianduminekoconnect1702 3 роки тому

      In my opinion do the experts on climate change and this is just me saying it this has nothing to do with sarcasm think they really do it for political game so it's not really an expert situation I could be wrong but it seems convenient to me that would be done for a political reason but I digress

  • @chrischurch4551
    @chrischurch4551 3 роки тому +73

    At first click this I thought wow I didn't expect Jeff Bezos to be teaching English

  • @cormyat07
    @cormyat07 3 роки тому +89

    Sarcasm is always irony. But irony isn't always sarcasm.

    • @glennhonestly6600
      @glennhonestly6600 3 роки тому +7

      you are like my chemist tcr when "All alkalines are basics, but not all basics are alkiline"

    • @TheCatVtuber
      @TheCatVtuber 2 роки тому +6

      I always thought Sarcasm as intentional contradiction, while irony is unintentional.

    • @medico2surgeon769
      @medico2surgeon769 Рік тому

      @@glennhonestly6600 like our bio teacher - all biparental reproduction are sexual reproduction but reverse not true

    • @StaticBlaster
      @StaticBlaster Рік тому

      Thanks for the explanation.

    • @kristinabliss
      @kristinabliss 8 місяців тому

      ​@@glennhonestly6600 All pigeons are doves, but not all doves are pigeons.

  • @bronwynbaillie
    @bronwynbaillie 4 роки тому +24

    Just happened across your video, never seen one before. I’m a native speaker but this was a great explanation of a complex concept. Absolutely loved it, keep it up!

  • @BuRn_FrN
    @BuRn_FrN Рік тому +2

    My favourite visual definition of irony is a picture I saw many years ago of a pick up truck with flames paint job.. all over .. Being literally engulfed in flames on the side of the road

  • @Mangrove417
    @Mangrove417 3 роки тому +1

    No one can never say you lack sarcasm!!!!!! 😂😂😂🤣😍😍😍😍
    Portuguese 🇵🇹🇵🇹native speaker here, congrats for the channel!!!

  • @sublimestudy9998
    @sublimestudy9998 3 роки тому +2

    I m from India....I appreciate you for your best explanation & examples..
    My hearty greetings to you. Sir👍💐

  • @davidemiable
    @davidemiable 2 роки тому +2

    wow. Thanks for the excellent!! clear definition / distincition. I find that my Japanese students have a hard time understanding sarcasm even when it is explained. I am not sure if it is because of language (only) or if it is because of culture (they don't use it / or not in the same way).

  • @riyanshojha6446
    @riyanshojha6446 4 роки тому +5

    Love the way you explain. Thank you

  • @eshannaik3274
    @eshannaik3274 4 роки тому +5

    Thank you sir! This really helped me a lot.

  • @nadenehall6843
    @nadenehall6843 3 роки тому +1

    Hi i am watching your videos, I am from Jamaica and your explanation was very understandable, thank you

  • @Peter_1986
    @Peter_1986 4 роки тому +4

    One example of sarcasm would be if someone does something extremely embarrassing in front of other people, and then someone is like "nice job, do that again since you did so well".

    • @SlowEasyEnglish
      @SlowEasyEnglish  4 роки тому +1

      Absolutely!

    • @krishnakumarsah1767
      @krishnakumarsah1767 4 роки тому

      @@SlowEasyEnglish then how does someone can be irony at the same situation. can you please explain it? . Love the way you explain.

    • @raptor1068
      @raptor1068 3 роки тому

      @@krishnakumarsah1767 perhaps saying it didnt look that bad while dying of laughter inside just to mock that person and confuse them

  • @cormyat07
    @cormyat07 3 роки тому +18

    If your wife is watching TV and you ask "what are you doing?" if she answers "running a marathon," that would be sarcasm.
    If I then say, "are you winning?" That would be ironic.

  • @harmansaman
    @harmansaman 2 роки тому

    Very useful and clear explanation two different yet similar expression while talking. Thank you!

  • @dantean
    @dantean 3 роки тому +7

    Irony's when the speaker doesn't know that what they're saying is self-contradictory; while sarcasm is an intentional pointing out of what one considers the foolishness or stupidity of another or of their stated position.
    EXAMPLE: Your dad asks why he never sees you with your former best friend Johnny anymore and you inform him you'd lose points with your new friends if they saw you hanging around with HIM.
    SARCASM: "I guess you're the expert on how high school works, eh?!" (i.e. YOU'RE an idiot)
    IRONY: "I'm gonna be popular if it takes losing every friend I've got!" (i.e., doesn't get that "popular" requires MORE friends, not fewer)
    Simple.

    • @wc5324
      @wc5324 2 роки тому +1

      Does it require that the speaker doesn’t know they are self-contradictory? If I want to avoid sarcasm and be better at irony, I think I might know I’m being ironic, right?

    • @fluidthought42
      @fluidthought42 8 місяців тому

      ​@@wc5324
      Well, I would personally say it's more that verbal irony (as opposed to other forms of irony like narrative irony) is a general contradictory statement of the known accepted facts, while sarcasm is specially a subset of verbal irony used to insult or make fun of someone else.
      So if you were to use verbal irony for self-deprecating humor or to make a more general joke ("The day is nice and cool out" for a hot day, "Going out for a short walk" to refer to doing a marathon, etc) then it is just verbal irony without sarcastic qualities. Unfortunately, people tend to mix the terms up which makes analyzing them harder for lay people.

  • @程雪玲
    @程雪玲 4 роки тому +3

    Thanks. I saw your most videos, and I learned a lot, it would be better if you can make an video about how to improve listening ability for the english learners. Thanks again.

    • @SlowEasyEnglish
      @SlowEasyEnglish  4 роки тому

      Check out my "Best Way to Learn English" series. Lots of good info there! ua-cam.com/play/PLD56003F52966E21F.html

  • @letsgetiton99
    @letsgetiton99 3 роки тому +2

    it can also depend on the delivery and tone of speech

    • @sonjagatto9981
      @sonjagatto9981 Місяць тому

      I agree....tone is very, very important❣

  • @totallyrandomstuff1
    @totallyrandomstuff1 3 роки тому +3

    So there are no clearly defined rules that separate irony from sarcasm? As you describe it seems based on opinion and peoples relationship with one another?

    • @fluidthought42
      @fluidthought42 8 місяців тому +1

      It's a quality of all communication. What separates the object from the subject, the verb from the noun, etc. It's contextual like all language.
      However allow me to give more context. If I say "it's a lovely day for shorts" during a rain storm, I'm being ironic but not sarcastic (as long as no one is actually wearing shorts). If I say "I hate Mondays" after something good happens to me on a Monday, that's just using irony. Being sarcastic means being ironic, but it's possible to use verbal irony without being sarcastic.

  • @Legomovie970
    @Legomovie970 2 роки тому +2

    I'm autistic, and I find two meanings of "Irony" to be super confusing for me.

    • @wc5324
      @wc5324 2 роки тому

      I can understand what sarcasm is but I have a hard time creating examples of irony. But it does seem if we don’t know how to be ironic and read the context, we either practice among people more forgiving or we err on the side of physical comedy :)

    • @kayladenette5872
      @kayladenette5872 2 роки тому +2

      @@wc5324 the way i see it is that sarcasm is generally pointed towards a pierson whereas irony isn’t.
      if you walk outside & say “wow sure is nice out” when it’s raining - that’s ironic. but if you say “you really dressed for the weather” to someone wearing a t shirt in the storm, that’s sarcastic.

  • @coolboy6507
    @coolboy6507 3 роки тому

    Thanks, watching from Kenya.

  • @ParsleyPunch
    @ParsleyPunch 11 місяців тому +1

    To add to this: whether it's intended to be truly insulting or light hearted, the tone of your delivery is a big distinction. Sarcasm is usually delivered in an exaggerated tone to make your point obvious, whereas Irony is saying something that is the opposite of how you feel, but using language that indirectly indicates that you think this is a stupid point of view. A good example of this is a comedy sketch that depicts a racist character. Many would criticise the sketch for being racist, but really the opposite is true - they're depicting the racist character as being foolish, hence undermining that worldview. It's subtle and can be taken at face value.

    • @ParsleyPunch
      @ParsleyPunch 11 місяців тому

      Obviously there is comedy that is using racism for cheap laughs and doesn't undermine racism itself, and that should rightly be criticised. Eg. Little Britain

  • @Bestill37-7
    @Bestill37-7 6 місяців тому

    Thank you!

  • @alicecheruto8439
    @alicecheruto8439 7 місяців тому

    It really helped...thanks so much

  • @motivationalspeeches125
    @motivationalspeeches125 8 місяців тому

    You explained well man. Appreciated 👍👍

  • @laylaraad5716
    @laylaraad5716 3 роки тому +1

    So, if someone describes you as being sarcastic, then he or she means that you're insulting this person, right?

  • @kovinda
    @kovinda 3 роки тому

    Thanks. It's very easy to understand and it's very clear too 😀

  • @casualchris67
    @casualchris67 3 роки тому +1

    Ohhhhh now i understand thank u this helped a lot with my hw

  • @anahita_8188
    @anahita_8188 Рік тому

    Fantastic 👌🏻🤍

  • @reymondgermanpolanco3688
    @reymondgermanpolanco3688 4 роки тому +2

    Excellent video mr,silly

  • @medico2surgeon769
    @medico2surgeon769 Рік тому

    I just got confused btw irony n sarcasm. I searched for that and your video came up. The things which we complicated that complicated things you make easy for us just like your channel name 😊

  • @surenderkumarohlayan6900
    @surenderkumarohlayan6900 Рік тому

    Nicely explained

  • @freespiritkaro3414
    @freespiritkaro3414 2 роки тому

    Cool video, thanks, I am trying to conceptualize and compartmentalize 1) sarcasm, 2) irony 3) cynicism in my brain. I feel confused about them all the time but Alanis Morisettes hit song “Ironic” helps a little by pointing at the fact that Irony could be more related to things happening unintentionally, rather than intentionally as is the case with sarcasm. Natural Disasters can be perceived as ironic in the context of someone’s plans, whereas we can’t say “this tornado wiping out people’s houses in the Philippines was indeed sarcastic” cause Nature got seriously fed up with that population hahahaa
    Now I just need to figure out where cynicism lands in all of this for me 😊

  • @Bezesaltcheck
    @Bezesaltcheck 3 роки тому

    This video was very informative.

  • @ronnyd246
    @ronnyd246 4 роки тому +4

    Putting it on a 1.25x speed makes this video a regular one, so you can actually focus on the topic. Thank me later :D Great video by the way!

    • @PabloZamora1
      @PabloZamora1 4 роки тому

      ronnyd246 change it to 0.5x speed after a couple of beers lol

  • @mohsinabdullah9343
    @mohsinabdullah9343 3 роки тому

    Great explanation

  • @FPavanMB
    @FPavanMB 3 роки тому

    thank you sir

  • @MPSKaphle
    @MPSKaphle 4 роки тому

    Thankyou so much sir ❤❤

  • @estehfano
    @estehfano 4 роки тому

    Congratulations. Could you talk about present perfect? Thanks.

  • @ROCKYSBOY
    @ROCKYSBOY 11 місяців тому

    American Irony vs UK irony are very different.

  • @方虚
    @方虚 3 роки тому

    I also want to know the difference between staire and these two words...pleeease..

  • @lishaliu7417
    @lishaliu7417 4 роки тому +1

    so after all it depends on the context and how the listener perceives the remarks?

    • @SlowEasyEnglish
      @SlowEasyEnglish  4 роки тому

      Yes, to some extent. It's very nuanced sometimes. But sometimes irony as humor is even funnier when the other person doesn't realize it. lol

  • @drewb1263
    @drewb1263 3 роки тому

    So what is irony without sarcasm?

  • @airconlover
    @airconlover 3 роки тому

    Play at 1.25 for anyone who already speaks English 👍🏽

  • @onesnature9332
    @onesnature9332 3 роки тому

    Nice video

  • @Jegarino
    @Jegarino 3 роки тому

    I thought it was really cool for an elderly person like you to decide to make a video on this subject, you know? most elderly people just want to know about pets and crochet

    • @sonjagatto9981
      @sonjagatto9981 Місяць тому

      Is that an insult or a fact? 🙄🤨😹

  • @neilstuckas2572
    @neilstuckas2572 2 роки тому +1

    That was helpful, no really, I’m not being...... oh nevermind!

  • @mindfever6285
    @mindfever6285 Рік тому +1

    This is not helping at all. Im more confused as ever. Thanks a lot (being sarcastic)

  • @anincognitouser27
    @anincognitouser27 3 роки тому

    So does the title meant to be ironic or sarcastic because I'm pretty sure that difference only had two f. Perhaps it's a typo. I'm reading this too much, should have wore my reading glasses.

    • @SlowEasyEnglish
      @SlowEasyEnglish  3 роки тому

      I guess you haven't heard the news. The New World Order of English Spelling Consortium has decreed that diffference shall be spelled with 3 f's from now on. ;)
      Thanks for the heads up. I should probably wear MY glasses more often! lol

    • @anincognitouser27
      @anincognitouser27 3 роки тому

      @@SlowEasyEnglish Oh my! I haven't heard the news myself. I'm more into League of English Grammatical Sentences or Home of Associated Notation Details and Spelling. Although I could be bias because LEGS and HANDS sounds a bit easier to remember than TNWOESC. 😅
      You're most welcome, Mr. Sylli. I'm down (can't believe I've just made that pun work 😂) for continuing to watch your videos too. It really helps to improve, wouldn't you say? Besides, what better way to improve your skills than practicing it and actually using it at this very moment, right?
      You've delicately deliver the info with clear and concise audio and examples. It is so slow that I almost fallen asleep, good thing it's not ASMR. It's not so easy staying awake at night learning English, you know. ;)
      Jokes aside, as a native speaker myself, your videos does helped. Seeing an explanation from speakers whom understood the language since the day they were born and listening to other native speakers that fully comprehend the language has opened my mind to fully delved deeper into this matter. Which in turn, I would share this useful information with others whom wanted to learn English too.
      So, thank YOU for giving us this knowledge to get us closer and closer at learning the secrets of the International Language and finding ways to found the next step to WORLD DOMINATION!
      Until then, it's been a pleasure to learn more stuff from you, Mr. Sylli. *If that's even your real name!* Nah, I'm just joking. I'm not the brightest in the room at making some witty lines and great remarks. Then again, the lights are currently off right now so I should have turn them on. Maybe then I could finally look for my own glasses too. Actually, I've found it right now as I was making this 6 paragraph essay and I can see the full picture of this passage. WOW, so many words. But seriously, thank you so much, Mr. Sylli. 😆

  • @jrlakin370
    @jrlakin370 4 роки тому +1

    That’s not what irony means.

  • @animallover2512
    @animallover2512 2 роки тому

    WTF JOHNNY SINS TEACHING ENGLISH IN HIS 60S

  • @animallover2512
    @animallover2512 2 роки тому

    WTF Jonny sins teaching English in his 60s

  • @arnabsaha6031
    @arnabsaha6031 Рік тому

    Who else is here night before exam?

  • @ihavemovies4yu
    @ihavemovies4yu 8 місяців тому

    from india

  • @Pe6ek
    @Pe6ek 3 роки тому +1

    I think irony is always hurtful, as it feeds off of the victim's confusion and is thereby an insecurity infusing excercise. It's always used by insecure people lacking empathy. It's cowardly and stupid. A joke can be complicated - saying the opposite of what you want to say is just dumb.

  • @luv_scars3839
    @luv_scars3839 3 роки тому

    💯🇿🇦

  • @LeonASinner
    @LeonASinner 3 роки тому

    Erm.... that's not right

    • @SlowEasyEnglish
      @SlowEasyEnglish  3 роки тому

      No?

    • @LeonASinner
      @LeonASinner 3 роки тому +1

      @@SlowEasyEnglish Verbal irony is a figure of speech that communicates the opposite of what is said, while sarcasm is a form of irony that is directed at a person, with the intent to cause offence OR comedy.
      A general rule is that you can't be dilibratly ironic without being sarcastic, and something is Ironic if it's the opposite of what you INTENDED or EXPECTED.
      If you see me sat on the couch and ask what I'm doing and I said "running a marathon" that's sarcasm no matter what, weather I'm being friendly or cruel. The irony is that you expected an honest answer and got the opposite. However, if you completely didn't notice I was being sarcastic and you believed me, the irony is that my sarcasm was intended to tease you and got the opposite reaction.
      It's honestly only nitpicking, but that's only because you did do a really good video on the subject and it's such an anal difference....but it's kind of a key one

    • @SlowEasyEnglish
      @SlowEasyEnglish  3 роки тому +2

      @@LeonASinner Thank you for the compliment. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. :)
      Re: sarcasm/irony, I think a lot of what you're saying is what I said in the video (and I later added a pinned comment to clarify -- did you see it?).
      However, I think you contradicted yourself a bit by saying that "sarcasm is a form of irony" and then saying "you can't be ironic without being sarcastic". If sarcasm is a form of irony, that means there are forms of irony which are not sarcasm -- ergo, you *can* be ironic without being sarcastic.
      An example of irony without sarcasm might be, for example, when someone tells you it's raining outside and you say, "oh, perfect" (perhaps you had plans to go to the beach). In this case, it's not delivered with the intent to ridicule anyone or to make a point, it's just an amusing way of saying you're disappointed in the weather. (I admit, I should have included this type of example in the video. It would have been much clearer.)
      In a nutshell, I would say that it's just plain irony if it's not intended to ridicule or make a point and it is solely for humorous effect, and it's sarcasm when it's intended to ridicule or make a point (as you say, directed at someone), which can be either humorous or offensive.

    • @LeonASinner
      @LeonASinner 3 роки тому

      @@SlowEasyEnglish I agree with most of what you say. I actually said you can't "dilibratly" be ironic because it's definition is purely "opposite to expected or intended result" and in all honesty I was always taught in that in collage. So when you used you're exsample " it's raining.....great" I would still argue that's sarcasm, even though you're only saying it to yourself.
      BUT...
      Since my original comment I did check online in case I was wrong and I think I found a good example of why I might be.
      Edgar Allan Poe once wrote of two characters entering a cellar. One of these characters was intending to murder the other in the cellar when the victim started to violently choke on some dust. The murder (despite wanting to stab his victim to death) begane to act concerned. The victim gathers himself and says "worry not of my health, I am fine. I will not die of choking this night". The murderer is entertained by this and simply responds "No, of course not"
      This "No, of course not" is (just in my opinion) a brilliant example of your "rain...great" example. It's a lie of omission. When the character witnessed irony and simply kept it to himself. Of course he wouldn't die OF CHOKING, but he was definitely gonna die. In this exsample I think he did exsactly as you said by saying the opposite of what he meant. Just not sarcastically.
      I'd love your take on this

    • @SlowEasyEnglish
      @SlowEasyEnglish  3 роки тому +1

      @@LeonASinner Oh, ok. I think I see what you mean. One thing to note is that there is verbal irony and situational irony. Situational irony can't be deliberate but verbal can.
      I haven't read that story but my take on the scene is that it could be taken two different ways depending on how it was said. I can imagine him muttering to himself in a disappointed tone where he's kinda rolling his eyes, or a reassuring tone, where he's saying it to the other man meaning, "yeah, I'm sure you'll be fine."
      Did he, in fact, end up killing him that night? lol
      Though, tbh, I'm not sure I would consider that irony because for it to be irony he would have to have the intention of conveying the opposite meaning of what he says. If not, then it would simply be a lie, of omission, as you said.
      Irony and sarcasm can really be tricky, eh!

  • @Makilock1
    @Makilock1 3 роки тому

    You concentrate too much on sarcasm and not a lot on irony. 👎

  • @DizzyNutz69
    @DizzyNutz69 4 роки тому +1

    I love it when i have to put the video on 1.25x speed.