Irony

Irony is a contradiction. It occurs when you expect one outcome, but the opposite happens. Writers use irony in a story to further the action, add humor or fear, or to point out the hypocrisy or contradictory nature of a character or situation.

There are three major types of irony: verbal, situational, and dramatic. Most people are quite familiar with verbal irony and use it often in their day-to-day speech, saying the opposite of they mean in order to express their true feelings or thoughts. With situational irony, the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what you were expecting. Letting the audience or reader know details that the characters do not, sets the stage for dramatic irony.