Changes

The term is is commonly used in U.S. English to refer to a type of [[rhetoric]] whereby a statement or assertion is made with the intention to put across the opposite meaning. E.g. "Oh I ''really'' like your coat." In British English this is more commonly referred to as [[sarcasm]].  Whether a particular statement is construed as irony or sarcasm can often be a matter of opinion.  The Sarcasm Society <ref> http://www.sarcasmsociety.com/howtorecognizeirony/</ref> offers the following distinction:

The term is is commonly used in U.S. English to refer to a type of [[rhetoric]] whereby a statement or assertion is made with the intention to put across the opposite meaning. E.g. "Oh I ''really'' like your coat." In British English this is more commonly referred to as [[sarcasm]].  Whether a particular statement is construed as irony or sarcasm can often be a matter of opinion.  The Sarcasm Society <ref> http://www.sarcasmsociety.com/howtorecognizeirony/</ref> offers the following distinction:

:'''Sarcasm ''' can be illustrated by the speaker saying, "I appreciate your help.", when no help was provided to the speaker. However, when the speaker says speaker says, "It was a bit cold.", after losing a leg due to frost bite, this understatement can be construed as '''irony'''.   

:'''Sarcasm ''' can be illustrated by the speaker saying, "I appreciate your help.", when no help was provided to the speaker. However, when the speaker says, "It was a bit cold.", after losing a leg due to frost bite, this understatement can be construed as '''irony'''.   

It might be useful to distinguish three kinds of irony <ref> definition adapted from: http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/irony.html</ref>:

It might be useful to distinguish three kinds of irony <ref> definition adapted from: http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/irony.html</ref>: