Commentary

1. … he was connected with the Daily Thunderstorm…

The Daily Thunderstorm is a jocular name given by Twain to the newspaper the young man represented. The name of the paper is already its characterization. It contains a hint at the kind of easy sensational stuff that filled its pages.

2. “Hoping it’s no harm, I’ve come to interview you.”

“Come to what?”

“How do you spell it?”

“Spell what?”

To express extreme surprise or disbelief part of the speaker’s remark is readdressed to him with the unbelievable section turned into the appropriate interrogative. This interrogative takes a heavy stress and a quickly rising intonation. This kind of response is known as a repeated question.

3. I was not feeling bright that morning.

Note the continuous form of the verb “to feel”. When verbs of feeling and perception (“feel” is one of them) are used in the continuous form which is not common, they indicate a passing state.

4. “I can tell you what it means, if you – if you – ”

“Why, my friend, they wouldn’t have a picture of it in even the latest e – ”

Unfinished sentences form a peculiarity of spoken language. They reflect the flow of thought in conversation. Twain amply uses them for he aims at a very accurate reproduction of dialogical speech.

5. The story presents a sample of spoken English with its main peculiarities.

   1. Elliptical sentences:

… and much obliged to you…

How old are you? Nineteen.

2. Direct word order in interrogative sentences:

He disappeared, then?

He came to life again?

3. Contractions:

I don’t want to spell it…

But it’s a very old edition.

4. Composite verbs:

Will you let me ask you… questions… to bring out the salient points of your … history?

… he got up and rode with the driver.

5. Ready-made formulas of agreement, disagreement, surprise, pleasure, apology, etc.:

Hoping it’s no harm.

Why, certainly!

Indeed!

What! Impossible!

Thank you for the compliment, as far as it goes.

6. An abundant use of colloquialisms:

… my powers seemed a bit under a cloud.

It is all the rage now.

He was dead enough.

He came to life again? I bet he didn’t.

6. “I had the Unabridged, and I was ciphering around in the back end, hoping I might tree her among the pictures.”

The verb “tree” here means “to find”, “to get hold of”. The pronoun “her” stands for “interview” which is evidently treated here as a living being. The talk about “interview” is typical of Twain’s comic art. We see here one of his devices which consists in intentionally presenting his characters as imbeciles.

7. “It must be very interesting.”

“… he must have been dead…”

In these sentences “must + infinitive” expresses supposition with which almost no doubt is mixed. When “must” is used with the perfect infinitive (see the second example) the possibility is represented as past.

8. “It does seem curious, somehow.”

Note the use of the verb “to do” in the affirmative sentence. It serves to express emphasis.

9. “I would give whole worlds to know.”

It is a hyperbole typical of colloquial English.

Cf. “It’s ages since we met”, “That’s heaps of time”.

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement. It springs from highly emotional attitude of the speaker towards the subject discussed and presents a deliberate distortion of proportions.