Question

(20 POINTS) Which TWO sentences in this excerpt from Mark Twain's "The Danger of Lying in Bed" are examples of verbal irony?

a. "That is 3,120 deaths a year in San Francisco, and eight times as many in New York—say about 25,000 or 26,000."
b. " So we will let it stand as a fair presumption that this will hold good all over the country, and that consequently 25,000 out of every million of people we have must die every year."
c. " The Erie railroad kills 23 to 46; the other 845 railroads kill an average of one-third of a man each; and the rest of that million, amounting in the aggregate to that appalling figure of 987,631 corpses, die naturally in their beds!"
d. "The railroads are good enough for me."
e. "Don't stay at home any more than you can help; but when you have GOT to stay at home a while, buy a package of those insurance tickets and sit up nights."

Answer 1

The sentences in the above excerpt from Mark Twain’s “The Danger of Lying in Bed” which are examples of verbal irony are:

“San Francisco is one-eighth as populous as New York; there are 60 deaths a week in the former and 500 a week in the latter—if they have luck.”

“That is 3,120 deaths a year in San Francisco, and eight times as many in New York—say about 25,000 or 26,000. The health of the two places is the same.”

“Don't stay at home any more than you can help; but when you have GOT to stay at home a while, buy a package of those insurance tickets and sit up nights.”

The irony is the statement which has the meaning opposite to what is said literally. It creates humor. When words expressed reflects on to the opposite meaning of what is been said, the irony is termed verbal irony. In the above sentences, the author gives an ironical statement in order to present the importance of living in a comical way. Hope this helped!