Read these headlines from a newspaper.

Fire Station Burns!

Lifeguard Drowns!
Talk about it.
These situations are ironic. Talk about what you think ironic means.

Look it up.
Use your Longman’s dictionary (or ldoceonline.com) to write a definition. (Be sure to include
pronunciation, stress, part of speech, and an example.)

ironic:

Figure it out.
Read these situations. Check (ü) the ones you think are ironic.

_____ A ninety-eight-year-old man wins the lottery and dies from the shock.

_____ You fight with someone about the importance of non-violence.

_____ There's a black fly in your white wine.

_____ A kindergarten teacher hates children. IDIOMS

After you hear something
_____ It rains on your wedding day. ironic, you sometimes say
"It figures."
_____ You get caught in a traffic jam when you're late. or
"Who would've thought?"

Think of one more ironic situation. Write it here.

Bridget Green, based on L. Cleary, TESOL ’98 Presentation for 104 L/S; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc&feature=player_embedded
 I r o n i c
b y A l a n i s M o r i s s e t t e
Listen to the song and write in the missing lyrics.

An old man ninety-eight.

He won the lottery, and the next day.
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay.
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late.
Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?
Chorus It's like rain on your wedding day.
It's a free ride when you've already .
It's the good advice that you just didn't .
And who would've thought? It figures.
Mr. Play-It-Safe was afraid to fly.
He his suitcase and kissed his kids good-bye.
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane down, he thought, "Well, isn't this nice?"
And isn't it ironic? Don't you think?
Chorus
Well, life a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you everything's okay and everything's going right.
And life has a funny way of helping you out
When you think everything's gone wrong and everything up in your face:
A traffic jam when you're already late,
A “No Smoking” sign on your cigarette break.
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you is a knife. Think about it.
It's meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife, Are all of these
And isn't it ironic? Don't you ? situations
A little too ironic. And yeah I really do think. ironic?
Chorus
Listen to the song again and check your answers. What do all the words you wrote have in common?

In groups, talk about these questions.

1. Which of these situations is bad and which is good?

2. Which of these situations has happened to you? Which might happen to you in the future?

3. An optimist expects good things to happen; a pessimist expects bad things to happen. In

general, is the singer optimistic or pessimistic? Explain.

4. In general, are you optimistic or pessimistic? Explain.

Bridget Green, based on L. Cleary, TESOL ’98 Presentation for 104 L/S; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc&feature=player_embedded