Expressions we often use in an ironic fashion are:
• Oh, wasn’t that clever!/Oh that was clever!
• You have been a great help, I must say!
• You’ve got yourself into a lovely mess, haven’t you?
• Oh, very funny!/How funny!
We use a slightly different tone of voice when we use these words ironically.
Read the play carefully and find the words and expressions Gerrard uses in an ironic way. Then say what these expressions really mean. Two examples have been given below. Write down three such expressions along with what they really mean.
What the author says
What he means
Why, this is a surprise, Mr – er –
He pretends that the intruder is a social visitor whom he is welcoming. In this way he hides his fear.
At last a sympathetic audience!
He pretends that the intruder wants to listen to him, whereas actually the intruder wants to find out information for his own use.
describe the character of gerrard
write a letter to your young brother for his achivment in a state level chess competetion.
what were the crimes committed by the intruder????
what kind of a man was the intruder?
A word can mean different things in different contexts. Look at these three sentences:
• The students are taught to respect different cultures.
• The school is organising a cultural show.
• His voice is cultured.
In the first sentence, ‘culture’ (noun) means way of life; in the second, ‘cultural’ (adjective) means connected with art, literature and music; and in the third, ‘cultured’ (verb) means sophisticated, well mannered. Usually a dictionary helps you identify the right meaning by giving you signposts.
Look at the dictionary entry on ‘culture’ from Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2005.
(Noun, verb, adjective, adverb, synonyms, etc. are signposts which help you locate the right meaning and usage, and give information about the part of speech that the word is.)
Look up the dictionary entries for the words sympathy, familiarity, comfort, care, and surprise. Use the information given in the dictionary and complete the table.
Noun
Adjective
Adverb
Verb
Meaning
sympathy
familiarity
comfort
care
surprise
Imagine you are Gerrard. Tell your friend what happened when the Intruder broke into your house.
[Clues: Describe (i) the intruder — his appearance, the way he spoke, his plan, his movements, etc., (ii) how you outwitted him.]
Which of the words below describe Gerrard and which describe the Intruder?
smart
humorous
clever
beautiful
cool
confident
flashy
witty
nonchalant
Write a paragraph each about Gerrard and the Intruder to show what qualities they have. (You can use some of the words given above.)
Convert the play into a story (150 – 200 words). Your story should be as exciting and as witty as the play. Provide a suitable title to it.
• Gerrard lives alone in a lonely cottage. An intruder, who is a criminal, enters his cottage. He intends to murder Gerrard and take on his identity. Does he succeed?
• The following words and phrases occur in the play. Do you know their meanings? Match them with the meanings given, to find out.
cultured
an informal expression for a fashionable vehicle
count on
unnecessary and usually harmful
engaged
exaggerated
melodramatic
sophisticated; well mannered
to be smart
here, a tone of voice
inflection
avoid
wise guy
an unexpected opportunity for success
a dandy bus
trap
tradespeople
a Christian religious teacher who teaches on Sundays in Church
gratuitous
(American English) a person who pretends to know a lot
dodge
depend on; rely on
lucky break
(American English) an informal way of saying that one is being too clever
Sunday-school teacher
occupied; busy
frame
merchants
Irony is when we say one thing but mean another, usually the opposite of what we say. When someone makes a mistake and you say, “Oh! That was clever!” that is irony. You’re saying ‘clever’ to mean ‘not clever’.
Expressions we often use in an ironic fashion are:
• Oh, wasn’t that clever!/Oh that was clever!
• You have been a great help, I must say!
• You’ve got yourself into a lovely mess, haven’t you?
• Oh, very funny!/How funny!
We use a slightly different tone of voice when we use these words ironically.
Read the play carefully and find the words and expressions Gerrard uses in an ironic way. Then say what these expressions really mean. Two examples have been given below. Write down three such expressions along with what they really mean.
What the author says
What he means
Why, this is a surprise, Mr – er –
He pretends that the intruder is a social visitor whom he is welcoming. In this way he hides his fear.
At last a sympathetic audience!
He pretends that the intruder wants to listen to him, whereas actually the intruder wants to find out information for his own use.
Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.
1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).
2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.
3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.
4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.
5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).
6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of science fiction and mystery.
7. Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.
8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before using the contents.
“This is your big surprise.”
(i) Where has this been said in the play?
(ii) What is the surprise?
“A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?
“They can’t hang me twice.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
“You’ll soon stop being smart.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?