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Sarcasm
Sarcasm

Learn English with this sarcasm English lesson

Date: May 09 2018

Themes: Friend

Grammar: It's vs. Its

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Right. Right. It’s the same word, isn’t it? The answer is yes… and no. In English, not only do we pay attention to what words we say, but also how we say them. Your tone makes a big difference in what other people understand.

Some people are always serious. What they say is what they mean. Others like to kid around. Their personality might be more sarcastic. You might not realize that they’re joking if they have a very dry humor. It’s not always easy to understand. Something as simple as, “I read the book” can be a joke if the right person says it!

Being sarcastic isn’t always bad, but it can offend people if you’re not careful. People, especially your friends, like to know you care about them. If you’re always answering them with biting comments, don’t be surprised if your friends start disappearing.

Lily and Brian are discussing sarcasm. Learn who’s taking things too far in this English lesson about personalities.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Lily

Lily

Brian

Brian

Lily:  Brian, you are not serious about anything.

Brian:  Do you really think that?

Lily:  You’re being sarcastic again!

Brian:  No, I’m honestly asking you a question. I mean, sarcasm’s hard to judge because there’s definitely a certain type of tone.

Lily:  Right.

Brian:  And it’s kind of just a part of my personality.

Lily:  I get it. So your personality is to laugh everything off, just joke and kid about everything.

Brian:  No, I totally am. Sometimes I can have a dry humor. Like the other day, the elevator door opened up, and I walked in, and I was like, “Going down?” Because the elevator was going down.

Lily:  Do you have to be so biting all the time? Don’t you worry about offending people?

Brian:  Not really. I feel like if they don’t realize it’s a joke, then they won’t realize it’s sarcasm, so they think I’m being serious. So then it’s fine either way.

Lily:  So then they think you’re being a jerk. They have to take everything you’re saying with a grain of salt.

Brian:  Are you trying to tell me I’m a jerk?

Lily:  Oh, no, not at all.

Brian:  You could really use some lessons in sarcasm. That’s all I’m going to say.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Lily has something serious to tell Brian: she thinks he’s never serious!

Brian admits that being sarcastic is part of his personality. Sometimes he says things that are funny in a non-humorous way. He doesn’t think his sarcasm is a problem.

Lily asks Brian if he’s worried about offending people. She thinks that people will think he’s being a jerk. It sounds like Lily wants to help her friend, but Brian wonders if Lily actually thinks he’s being mean.

To prove her point, Lily tries out some sarcasm, but she fails. Brian and Lily obviously have very different personalities.

Are you sarcastic or serious? When is it OK to joke around?

 

Comments

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ml2000

ml2000Super Member!

Canada

Many times people hate each other because of the words from their mouths. It’s better not being sarcastic in front of the people you are not very familiar with because you don’t know what they think about your sarcasm and dry humor. Sometimes in some situations, it is better being quiet than talkative.    

05:37 PM May 09 2018 |

sasagaga

sasagaga

Mexico

I use sarcasm only with friend or family but not in the job or office… I work with different types of people and I feel rare when the patient talk to me using sarcasm with dry humor because I am learning English and I don’t want yo write down wrong information so I have to ask again and sometimes they get upset…

10:18 PM Jan 16 2015 |

sozii00

sozii00

Iraq

well , i think that i can’t live without sarcasm ..


in my native language it’s the main way to break boring !


with my friend .. family .>>


when i meet a person .. first meet !


i try to be funny .. make humor .. say an interstaing word .. anythink esle ..


be attentive ..


sarcasm not everytime and with all ppl ..


like an old man or woman .. u have to be warned don’t make a hard sarcasm with them .. they’ll be annoyed .. i told u hehehe

01:11 AM May 14 2014 |

ttsuka

ttsuka

Japan

I’m obliged –  This Is this year’s Beest so farrrr!! 


OK, seriously, the content, the tempo, the natrual delivery and, yes, the punch line – I enjoyed this dialogue very much. Thanks dear E-Baby staff, and keep it coming. 


 

06:18 PM Apr 17 2014 |

S&W

S&W

China

I think humour and sarcasm are totally different things.People with humour can make all the other people feel relax and easy to get along well with.Sarcasm may offense people ,bring the unncessary trouble.


Hey Ola,Don’t say yourself like that.You are not dull ,stupid.

03:17 AM Apr 17 2014 |

1 person likes this

cmoriwaki

United States

I use serious and exact expressions when I speak English. I’m not familiar with English, so I am often misunderstood by what I said to. Because of my poor English expressions.

But in my native language speaking, I often prefer to use sarcastic expressions. Sarcastic expression is like a word game for me. But it will sometimes be very impolite when we use for strangers and people who are not friends.

Sarcasm sometimes give us relax time and smile. But it will get serious situation if we make mistake using its timing.

This kind of thing happened to me.
I met an old man, a professor. He was talking to me about American joke. Actually, his talking was very very long, so I was getting boring to hear it.
He said, “Do you enjoy this occasion?”
I said with best smile, “Yes, professor. I am enjoying it.”
Then he said, “Yeah, This is a sarcastic smile I am talking to you about now.”
I turned pale.

01:40 AM Apr 17 2014 |

2 people like this

LIFE2FAST

LIFE2FAST

Ukraine

English is my second language. Sarcasm is my first

11:27 PM Apr 16 2014 |

1 person likes this

ola33

ola33

Japan

Sarcasm is alien to me. Don’t even want to train my brain for it. Think of me dull, not funny, stupid, slow, but i don’t use sarcasm at all.


P.S. you can be funny without sarcasm. “Sarcasm is anger’s ugly cousin” :))


10:17 PM Apr 16 2014 |

2 people like this

moha15

Kenya

i really kinda a sarcastic person to the  close people not to the srtrangers

05:29 PM Apr 16 2014 |

1 person likes this

am.h768

am.h768

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I have the sarcastic side mostly with my friends but not all the time, just for fun. But I’ve been told I’m serious as hell when I meet someone that I don’t know. I just didn’t notice that beacause I don’t consider myself as a very serious person.

04:36 PM Apr 16 2014 |

Jasonlongo

Jasonlongo

Congo, Democratic Republic Of The

I really am kinda a sarcastic one all the time, with people I know (friends, brothers, members of my family) and even people I don’t know.


For instance, I can just meet someone today and start kidding, you know.


Some are taking me like a jerk but I ain’t, it sometimes ruin my personality but I don’t care about that because it’s my nature.



I was born like that !!!

11:00 AM Apr 16 2014 |

Nemowhack

Nemowhack

Italy

Well, as Italian native I can say that in my country every human expression is based on emphasis.


So we italian speak, live and daily communicate to everybody through emphatic expressions, we can also do use of many gestures for it, in fact we gesticulate a lot and continually to assure a very good understanding of who is speaking and who is listening to. That mean “to make emphasis through gestures”.


Someone said that it had origin (or it’s borned) just when the Roman empire collapsed. So that Italy was found itself invaded by many Barbarians culture that didn’t speak our (but already compromise from the influence of the vernacular local dialect) universal latin language.


So we stuffed our language with many gesture to make it better to be understand, in other words we were forced to use a sort of “enphasis gesture language” to assur they get better what we say to them.



Who knows, it might be that is what is going to happen to English language? lol.


10:12 AM Apr 16 2014 |

rahim21

rahim21

Malaysia

I frequently use sarcasm to the persons closed to me. However, I try to avoid it when I talk to some one who is new to me.

07:17 AM Apr 16 2014 |

mojtaba

mojtaba

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I’m a playful man but i try never use a sarcastic to annoy my friends.

05:15 AM Apr 16 2014 |

AryelLanes

AryelLanes

Brazil

I’m usually sarcastic when I first meet someone (depending on the situation, of course) because it’s a great way to break the ice. Sometimes I lose control and end up offending them. My mom is the perfect example! I lost track of how many times she called me a cheeky guy! But I’ve been trying not to cross the line again… I think a well balanced person is the best type to have on your side. Not too shy, not too blunt, not too sarcastic… Anyway, you get it! There’s a time for everything…

01:00 PM Apr 15 2014 |

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