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, sarcastic, etc. [2] Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary 2) Use of words which are clearly opposite to one’s meaning, usually either in order to be amusing or to show annoyance (e.g. by saying ‘What charming behaviour’ when someone has been rude.) [3] Longman Dictionary of English Language &Culture (English-Chinese) 3) Irony is a literary technique that achieves the effect of saying one thing and meaning another through the use of humor or mild sarcasm. [4] Webster’s New World Encyclopedia 4) The use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning. [5] Webster English Dictionary 5) Irony is a figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant, the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. This form of irony is called verbal irony, and differs from the stylistic device of dramatic irony. [6] English Rhetorical Options 6) Definition of irony from Grolier International Dictionary: a). An expression or utterance marked by such a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning, for humorous or rhetorical effect. b). Incongruity between what might be expected and what occurs. [7] The above definitions, although explained by different experts from different angles, roughly display the nature of irony from both the form and function. Among these definitions, the basic meaning of irony could be found as “saying one thing but meaning another.” The best description of irony, say, the Grolier International Dictionary, takes both the form and function of irony into consideration and gives us a better picture. However, all of these definitions have some shortcomings. First, none of them provides an effective way to identify irony from non-irony. Second, they basically regard irony as a trope or a figure of speech whose literal and connotative meanings are mutually opposed to each other. This traditional understanding has been under challenges by modern research. 2.2 Classification of irony The classification of irony is presented in different ways by those who work on it. Booth identifies quite a number of types: tragic irony, comic irony, stable irony, unstable irony, dramatic irony, situational irony, verbal irony, rhetorical irony so on and so forth. Kreuz and Roberts distinguish four types of irony: Socratic irony, dramatic irony, irony of fate and verbal irony.[8] In general, irony involves a contradiction between appearance and reality. Irony results where there is a difference in point of view between a character and the narrator or reader. Traditionally, there are four major types of irony: verbal, dramatic, situational and comic. 2.2.1 Verbal irony Verbal irony refers to spoken words only. Verbal irony occurs when a character says one thing, but suggests or intends the opposite. The contrast is between what the speaker says and what he actually means. For example, in Julius Caesar, Mark Antony repeats the words “ and Brutus is an honorable man” in the famous “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” speech.[9] Mark Antony’s meaning, however, is that Brutus is completely dishonorable because Brutus, Caesar’s best friend, joined the other conspirators and plunged a knife into Caesar’s chest. In this paper, the discussion is laid upon this typ