Part 2: Literary Devices in The Importance of Being Earnest

Question 3 • OK-English IV A-CR

Which excerpt from Act I of The Importance of Being Earnest. is an understatement?

Answer

“I am always telling that to your poor uncle, but he never seems to take much notice . . . as far as any improvement in his ailment goes.”

“Well, really, Gwendolen, I must say that I think there are lots of other much nicer names.”

“Gwendolen, I must get christened at once—I mean we must get married at once. There is no time to be lost.”

“You know that I love you, and you led me to believe, Miss Fairfax, that you were not absolutely indifferent to me.”

Explanation

The phrase “not absolutely indifferent” deliberately understates Gwendolen’s feelings: instead of saying she cares for him, the speaker says only that she is not completely uninterested. That restrained, indirect wording makes choice D an understatement.

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