Verbal irony, puns and other figures

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Lemonade Stand (story)

   [1] Noah and Bo opened the Maple Street lemonade stand on the hottest Saturday of July, equipped with a cooler of ice, a hand-painted sign and enormous plans for the profits. [2] By noon they had sold three cups, two of them to a neighbor who felt sorry for them, and the stack of paper cups stood almost as tall as it had at sunrise. [3] "Business," Bo said, fanning the empty table with a napkin, "is booming." [4] The sun had turned the street into a griddle, and the sign drooped like a tired flag above the cooler. [5] "It is slightly warm out," Noah remarked, dropping an ice cube down the back of a collar. [6] Mrs. Okoye, who lived at the corner, finally strolled over, took a sip and closed her eyes for a long moment. [7] "This is honestly the finest lemonade I have tasted in years," she said, and she bought four cups for her book club. [8] Bo grinned so widely that Noah could have parked a bicycle in the smile. [9] A group of cyclists arrived next, sweaty and thirsty, and within ten minutes the pitcher was empty. [10] Noah counted the coins twice on the lid of the cooler and nodded with satisfaction. [11] "We squeezed out a decent profit," Bo said, "but only because we got a few lucky breaks." [12] The two of them stacked the cups, folded the sign and agreed that next Saturday they would bring a second pitcher, a bigger cooler, a shadier spot and a much larger sense of humility.

2. 1.

   Jun reads the lemonade story. Which line is verbal irony, with words that say the opposite of what the scene shows?

   • "This is honestly the finest lemonade I have tasted in years." (Mrs. Okoye, sentence [7])
   • "Business is booming." (Bo, sentence [3])
   • The sign "drooped like a tired flag." (sentence [4])
   • "We squeezed out a decent profit." (Bo, sentence [11])
3. 2.

   Kira reads Bo's line in sentence [11], "We squeezed out a decent profit." How does the pun work, and what does it add?

   • Squeezed lemons and barely managed a profit; the joke fits the stand and softens a small win.
   • "Profit," meaning money, and "prophet," meaning one who foretells; the joke plays on the sound.
   • Squeezed lemons and squeezed juice into cups; the joke repeats one idea about the stand.
   • Squeezed lemons and squeezed a hug; the joke adds warmth to the end of the day.
4. 3.

   Luz reads sentence [4], "The sun had turned the street into a griddle." What does the figure add that "the street was hot" would not?

   • It shows the heat is dangerous enough that Noah and Bo must close the stand and rush the customers indoors at once.
   • It shows that Noah and Bo are cooking food at the stand.
   • It tells the reader that the street was very hot.
   • It makes the heat feel harsh and sizzling, like a cooking surface, so the reader feels the discomfort.

5. The Soup Contest (story)

   [1] Esme and Ren entered the town soup contest with a recipe that had taken three weekends to perfect and a ladle older than both of them combined. [2] On the morning of the judging, the stove in the community kitchen refused to light, so the pot sat cold and gray in the middle of the counter while the clock above the door ticked forward. [3] "Excellent," Esme said, tapping the lid. "Nothing improves a soup like a cold start." [4] Ms. Abara, the contest organizer, hurried over with a clipboard and a worried frown and glanced at the cold burners. [5] "I believe there may be a small problem with the stove," she said. [6] Ren, who could see the line of judges already forming at the door, replied that the problem was the size of a whale and had about as much interest in moving. [7] A firefighter named Mr. Dube then wheeled a portable camp burner in from the truck, and Ren thanked the firefighter from the bottom of a grateful heart and promised the firefighter a pie. [8] "I mean that," Ren added. "You just saved our whole summer." [9] While the pot slowly warmed, Esme searched the crowded spice shelf and discovered that the jar of thyme was completely empty. [10] "Ms. Abara, could you spare some thyme?" Esme asked. [11] Ms. Abara looked at the judges, who were now tasting their way down the row of pots, and shook her head. [12] "I am afraid I am out of thyme," she said, "and the judges will not wait."

6. 4.

   Milo reads the soup story. Which line is verbal irony, with words that say the opposite of what the scene shows?

   • "Nothing improves a soup like a cold start." (Esme, sentence [3])
   • "You just saved our whole summer." (Ren, sentence [8])
   • Ren thanked the firefighter "from the bottom of a grateful heart." (sentence [7])
   • "I am afraid I am out of thyme." (Ms. Abara, sentence [12])
7. 5.

   Pia reads sentences [10] to [12]. How does the pun on "thyme" work in Ms. Abara's reply?

   • "Spare" means to save someone, and "spare" means extra; the joke plays on "spare."
   • Thyme the herb and a time zone, because the judges came from another town.
   • Esme asks for the herb thyme, and Ms. Abara answers as if it were time, which the judges are using up.
   • Esme asks for one herb, and Ms. Abara answers about a different herb on the shelf.
8. 6.

   Tala reads Ren's reply in sentence [6], that the problem was "the size of a whale." What does the figure add to "a big problem"?

   • It tells the reader that the stove is not working.
   • It shows that Ren is angry at Ms. Abara for the broken stove.
   • It makes the problem huge and stubborn in a funny way, matching Ren's panic as the judges arrive.
   • It shows that Ren honestly thinks a real whale is blocking the kitchen door and keeping the judges from reaching the tables.

9. The Late Bus Report (story)

   [1] Every morning that spring, the number nine school bus arrived at Pia's corner twenty minutes after it was supposed to, and every morning the riders greeted it like a long-lost friend. [2] "Right on time again," Luz said, climbing aboard with a backpack over each shoulder. [3] The driver, Ms. Park, only shrugged and said that the road was a little busy, which was her way of describing a two-hour traffic jam. [4] On Friday, Ren boarded in a good mood and handed the driver a card with a drawing of a clock wearing a sleepy face. [5] "That is the nicest thing anyone has ever given me," Ms. Park said, and she propped it on the dashboard with a smile. [6] Halfway to school, the bus rolled to a stop behind a line of cars that stretched farther than anyone could see, and the engine settled into a long, low sigh. [7] "We are going to be stuck here until the sun burns out," Tala groaned. [8] Pia leaned across the aisle and whispered that a bus could not be late if it was always the same amount of late, because then it was simply punctual in a strange way. [9] Ms. Park laughed so hard that the card fell off the dashboard and slid under the driver's seat. [10] When the traffic finally cleared, she turned the key, checked the mirror and announced, "Well, everyone, we are finally on a roll." [11] The riders cheered as if the bus had arrived at the moon, and the number nine rolled on toward school, twenty minutes late and in excellent spirits.

10. 7.

    Ari reads the bus story. Which line is verbal irony, with words that say the opposite of what the scene shows?

    • "That is the nicest thing anyone has ever given me." (Ms. Park, sentence [5])
    • Ren handed the driver a card with a drawing of a clock wearing a sleepy face. (sentence [4])
    • The riders greeted the bus "like a long-lost friend." (sentence [1])
    • "Right on time again." (Luz, sentence [2])
11. 8.

    Bo reads Ms. Park's line in sentence [10], "we are finally on a roll." How does the pun work?

    • The bus is rolling again, and Ms. Park is about to bake bread rolls.
    • The bus is rolling again, and its wheels are turning along the road.
    • "Bus," meaning a vehicle, and "bus," meaning to clear tables.
    • The bus is rolling again, and "on a roll" also means enjoying a lucky streak.

12. The New Seat Chart (story)

    [1] On the first Monday of March, Mr. Vega handed out a new seating chart and announced that it had been created by a careful scientific process. [2] Milo, who was moved to the desk beside the pencil sharpener, decided that the scientific process had probably involved a dartboard. [3] "This is the most thoughtful seating chart I have ever seen," Milo told Jun, and Jun snorted so loudly that Mr. Vega looked up from his desk. [4] "Well, at least my desk has a point," Milo added, tapping the sharpener. [5] Jun leaned over and whispered that the chart was so confusing that it needed a separate chart of its own to explain it. [6] "Questions?" Mr. Vega asked, and he said that he was open to feedback in the form of a thoughtful letter. [7] Noah, who sat directly in front of the radiator, asked whether the letter could be written in water, since it was getting a little toasty. [8] The class laughed, and Mr. Vega tapped his chart with a smile that was only slightly stiff. [9] "I like to think of my seating chart as a puzzle," he said. [10] "Each piece has a place, and no piece should feel left out." [11] Then he looked at the empty desk at the back, where the new student's name card had been left blank, and added more quietly that every chart has a place for a piece that has not arrived yet. [12] The class went quiet, and for the first time that morning nobody mentioned the dartboard.

13. 9.

    Pia reads Milo's line in sentence [4], "at least my desk has a point," as Milo taps the pencil sharpener. How does the pun work?

    • The sharpener makes pencil points, and a compass points north.
    • The sharpener makes pencil points, and "has a point" also means has a purpose, which is a dry joke.
    • The sharpener makes pencil points, and it also sharpens crayons and pencils alike.
    • "Desk," meaning furniture, and "desk," meaning a newsroom department.
14. 10.

    Zee reads Mr. Vega's line in sentence [9], "I like to think of my seating chart as a puzzle." What does the figure add?

    • It shows that Mr. Vega will move students around again and again whenever a piece does not fit.
    • It treats students as pieces that fit together, so Mr. Vega seems caring instead of only organized.
    • It shows that Mr. Vega is joking about the students' complaints.
    • It says that the chart is a kind of puzzle game for the class.