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Sarcasm Means To Tear Flesh

What did he really mean when he said I had nice hair?

Interesting Facts in Easy English

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • mock/ridicule: to make fun of; to make someone feel ridiculous, bad, or stupid
  • sarcastic: not literal; meaning the opposite of what one says
  • intention: purpose

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Sarcasm Means To Tear Flesh

Sarcasm is a that is used to mock or ridicule someone. The usually means exactly the opposite of what he says. For example, if your brother says “Nice hair!” to you in a sarcastic tone, he means that your hair looks . The word sarcasm comes from a Greek verb (sarkazein) that means to tear flesh. Sarcasm is such a common communicative that people sometimes forget that the real intention of sarcasm is to be , not to be funny.

Comprehension Questions

  1. When someone says “Nice hair!” in a sarcastic way, what does it really mean?
  2. What does the Greek verb sarkazein translate to in English?
  3. What do people often forget about the effect of a sarcastic tone of voice?

Discussion Questions: How can you tell if someone is being sarcastic in English? Do you find it difficult to detect and understand sarcasm in a language that is not your native language? Does every culture have sarcasm?

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