Review the passage. The verbal irony is shown in bold. Mr. John Dashwood did not have the strong feelings of the rest of the family __ but he promised to do everything in his power to make his sisters comfortable. His father was relaxed by such a promise, and Mr. John Dashwood had then leisure to consider how much there might wisely be in his power to do for them. He was not an unpleasant young man, unless to be rather cold hearted and rather selfish is to be unpleasant., but he was, in general, well respected, since he conducted himself with manners in the discharge of his ordinary duties. Adapted from Jane Austen,Sense and Sensibility What is the effect of the verbal irony on the passage's meaning or tone? It suggests John Dashwood is more considerate than people think. It suggests John Dashwood is not as nice as he appears. It implies other people do not like John Dashwood

## Step 1<br />The first step in solving this problem is to understand what verbal irony is. Verbal irony is a figure of speech where what is said is the opposite of what is meant. It is used to create a contrast between the literal meaning of the words and the intended meaning.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />Next, we need to identify the verbal irony in the given passage. The verbal irony is found in the sentence: "He was not an unpleasant young man, unless to be rather cold hearted and rather selfish is to be unpleasant". This sentence is ironic because it suggests that being cold-hearted and selfish is not unpleasant, which is the opposite of what is generally accepted.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />Finally, we need to analyze the effect of this verbal irony on the passage's meaning or tone. The irony in this sentence is used to subtly criticize John Dashwood's character. It suggests that despite his outwardly respectful demeanor, his cold-heartedness and selfishness make him unpleasant.