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ironic phrase

Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An utterance whose meaning undercuts or reverses its surface statement

Explore this topic in depth (1)

Satire in Poetry — Satirical poetry can make us laugh, wince or feel implicated. This guide explains how satire works: from irony and caricature to persona, historical context and the crucial role of voice in performance.

Detailed Definition
Ironic phrases rely on contextual dissonance to critique, mourn, or unsettle; they empower poetry to say one thing while meaning another, revealing complexity beneath apparent simplicity through tonal or situational contradiction.
Example
Example in poetry:
He called her his queen, yet locked her in the tower; she sang of love, but her eyes were cold; the poet praised peace, yet wrote with a knife; the ironic phrase is the truth wearing a mask.
Additional Notes
Ironic phrases undercut surface meaning: “He called her his queen, yet locked her in the tower”; they reveal hidden truths through contradiction; use tone, context, and juxtaposition; avoid sarcasm—aim for tragic or quiet irony; related to bitter phrase and hollow phrase; ideal for poems of disillusionment, power, or betrayal.
Also Known As
irony verbal irony sarcastic phrase
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