A Concrete Example, Class 8: Irony, Pun and Exaggeration in the Poem
Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked
In A Concrete Example, Reginald Arkell makes us laugh in three steps. Stanza 1 lists the stony features of Mrs. Jones's garden, stanza 2 exaggerates how tiny her plants are, and stanza 3 ends with the twist that the speaker is standing on the flower. The humour comes from exaggeration, situational irony and the pun on the word concrete.
The joke builds in three steps: stony setting, exaggerated tiny plants, then the twist of standing on the flower; 'concrete' puns on stone and real.
Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.
Understand A Concrete Example: How the Humour Works
Stanza 1: the setting. The speaker introduces the next-door neighbour and her garden full of stones, with a crazy path, a lily pond, a rockery and a sundial. The tone is light and slightly amused: a sundial "which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice" suggests that the speaker is less impressed.
Stanza 2: the exaggeration. The plants between the stones are so small that, in the speaker's words, they do not mean anything at all. The joke that she must plant them with a pin is hyperbole, an exaggeration made for fun. The line is not meant to be believed; it tells us how small the plants are.
Stanza 3: the twist. Mrs. Jones invites the speaker to see her stones. They talk about a flower for a quarter of an hour. When the speaker asks where it is, Mrs. Jones says, "You're standing on it." The flower is so small that the speaker has trampled it. The result is the opposite of what we expect, so it is situational irony.
The pun in the title. "Concrete" means hard building material, like the stones in the garden. It also means real and specific, as in a concrete example. The poem is a concrete example of how a gardener can love stones more than plants. Both meanings work together.
The refrain. "My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones" begins each stanza. It makes the poem sound like a funny story told over a garden wall and keeps our attention on one person.
Two views of one garden. Mrs. Jones sees beauty in tiny plants among stones. The speaker sees a stony place where nothing seems to grow. The poem laughs gently at both: at the owner's obsession and at the visitor who could not see the flower.
For answers. Quote a short phrase, name the device, and explain its effect on humour or meaning.
A Concrete Example: How the Humour Works: key facts
- Humour in order
Stanza 1 stony garden Stanza 2 plants planted with a pin Stanza 3 standing on the flower - The joke grows stanza by stanza.
- Devices
Hyperbole plants with a pin Irony you are standing on it Pun concrete Refrain next-door neighbour - Name the device, quote, then explain.
- Two meanings of concrete
- Hard material like stone | Real, specific example
- Use both in a pun answer.
- Tone words
- Humorous
- Light-hearted
- Gently mocking
- Amused
- Avoid harsh words such as cruel or angry.
A Concrete Example: How the Humour Works in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Seeing the same thing differently
Suppose Rohan's neighbour proudly shows him a kitchen garden that is a few pots of coriander on a balcony. Rohan nods politely, but when he turns, he nearly steps on a tiny seedling the neighbour is proudly growing in a bottle cap.
Which ideas from the poem does this situation match?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The owner values something tiny that the visitor ignores.
- The visitor almost steps on it, like the speaker who stands on the flower.
- Both people see the same thing differently.
Answer: It matches the theme of different perspectives and the situational irony of nearly stepping on the treasured plant.
Memory hook: One small flower, two points of view.
Tricks to remember A Concrete Example: How the Humour Works
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
S-H-I
Stones, Hyperbole, Irony.
Use it when: The three stanzas in order of their main effect.
Concrete = two things
Concrete is a wall and a clear case.
Use it when: For the pun in the title.
Under your feet
The punchline is under the speaker's feet.
Use it when: To remember the ending.
A Concrete Example: How the Humour Works: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: The device in the last line · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The device used in "You're standing on it," she replied is best described as
(a) simile (b) situational irony (c) alliteration (d) personification
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The result is the opposite of what the speaker expected (1 mark).
Answer: (b)
Example 2: Rhyme scheme · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
Look at the last stanza (the one in which Mrs. Jones invites the speaker to see her stones). Give its rhyme scheme and write the three rhyming pairs.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Rhyming couplets, so AABBCC (1).
- Pairs: Jones/stones, flower/hour, cried/replied (1).
Answer: The rhyme scheme is AABBCC. The pairs are Jones/stones, flower/hour and cried/replied.
Example 3: Exaggeration · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain the line "unless she plants them with a pin" with reference to the device used. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Name the device: hyperbole (1).
- Show what it exaggerates: the tiny size of plants (1).
- Effect: humour and picture (1).
Answer: This is hyperbole, a deliberate exaggeration. The speaker pretends that the plants are so small that only a pin could plant them. The line makes us laugh and helps us picture how tiny and unnoticeable the plants are among the large stones.
Example 4: Two views of the garden · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How do the speaker and Mrs. Jones see her garden differently? Support your answer with two details from the poem in 60-70 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Mrs. Jones's view with a detail (1.5).
- Speaker's view with a detail (1.5).
- Link to theme of perspectives (1).
Answer: Mrs. Jones is proud of her garden. She thinks the sundial with a strange device is rather nice and invites the speaker to see her stones. The speaker finds it an odd, stony place where the plants do not mean anything at all and has to be told that the flower is underfoot. The poem shows how people can see one thing differently, with gentle humour.
Example 5: Is the poem unkind? · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
A student says that the poem is unkind to Mrs. Jones because it mocks her. Do you agree? Give your view with reference to the poem in 80-100 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- State view (1).
- Evidence for gentle tone: polite visit, quarter of an hour of talk (1.5).
- The joke is shared: speaker is also foolish for standing on the flower (1.5).
- Conclusion and expression (1).
Answer: I do not agree. The tone is playful, not cruel. The speaker visits when invited and listens politely for a full quarter of an hour. The exaggeration about the pin is a joke about the size of the plants, not an insult to Mrs. Jones herself. The final laugh is on the speaker too, who stands on the flower without knowing it. Mrs. Jones is proud of her garden and welcomes the speaker kindly, and the speaker never calls her foolish or dishonest. The poem teases an obsession gently and lets both people share the joke.
Where students lose marks in A Concrete Example: How the Humour Works
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Calling the ending a surprise without naming the device
Marks are given for the term irony.
Wrong working
The ending is funny.
Right working
The ending uses situational irony: the flower is under the speaker's feet.
Do this: Name the device and then explain.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Giving only one meaning of concrete
A pun needs two meanings.
Wrong working
Concrete means stone.
Right working
Concrete means hard material and also real, specific.
Do this: Write both meanings in one line.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Saying Mrs. Jones is foolish or cruel
The tone is gently humorous.
Wrong working
The poet hates Mrs. Jones's garden.
Right working
The poet smiles at her obsession in a gentle, humorous tone.
Do this: Use "gently mocking".
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Exam tips
- Quote a short phrase in inverted commas and then explain it in your own words.
- Name the device before its effect: hyperbole, irony, pun or refrain.
- For tone questions, choose words such as humorous and light-hearted.
- In the pun answer, always give both meanings of concrete.
- End a long answer with how the poem treats both people.
Practice questions on A Concrete Example: How the Humour Works
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The refrain of the poem is
(a) "You're standing on it" (b) "My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones" (c) "A garden full of stones" (d) "Rather nice"Hint
It begins every stanza.
Answer
(b)
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
A student writes: "Concrete means stone, so the title only describes the garden." Show why this answer is incomplete and improve it in 40-50 words.
Hint
Add the second meaning and link it to the poem as a whole.
Answer
The answer gives only one meaning. Concrete refers to the hard, stony material in the garden, but it also means real and specific. The poem is a concrete example, a clear case, of someone who prefers stones to plants, so the title is a pun that works on both levels.
Q3 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): The ending of the poem shows situational irony.
Reason (R): The speaker asks where the lovely flower is and learns that it is under his or her own feet.
(a) Both A and R are true and R explains A
(b) Both are true but R does not explain A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is trueHint
Irony is a gap between expectation and result.
Answer
(a)
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does repeating the refrain at the start of each stanza help the poem? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Rhythm, focus and storytelling.
Answer
The refrain gives the poem a steady rhythm and keeps our attention on Mrs. Jones. It makes the poem sound like a story told by a neighbour over a garden wall. Each time it returns, we wait for the next funny detail about her garden.
Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Imagine that you are the speaker. Write a short message (80-100 words) to Mrs. Jones apologising for stepping on her flower and promising to visit again.
Hint
Informal apology, specific sorry, offer to make up for it.
Answer
Dear Mrs. Jones, I am really sorry that I stepped on your lovely flower yesterday. I was so busy admiring your stones and the sundial that I did not see where I was standing. I did not mean to hurt a plant you care about so much. Please let me help you plant a new one, and I shall put a little marker beside it so that nobody treads on it. Thank you for inviting me. I would love to visit again, and this time I shall look down first. Yours, your neighbour.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Who wrote A Concrete Example?Show answer
Reginald Arkell.
2.How many lines are there in each stanza?Show answer
Six.
3.What is the rhyme scheme?Show answer
AABBCC.
4.What does Mrs. Jones say in the last stanza?Show answer
"You're standing on it."
5.Which device gives "plants them with a pin"?Show answer
Hyperbole.
6.What is the refrain?Show answer
"My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones".
A Concrete Example: How the Humour Works: frequently asked questions
What makes the poem funny?
Exaggeration, the refrain and the ironic last line make it funny.
Is the speaker male or female?
The poem does not say, so write "the speaker".
What is the main idea?
People can see the same thing very differently, and a gentle laugh can show it.
Is the poem serious?
No. The tone is light-hearted and humorous.