In some cases, the purpose is to say something in such a way that seems to have an opposite meaning to what is being said. Here's an example, "I do not speak i

In some cases, the purpose is to say something in such a way that seems to have an opposite meaning to what is being said. Here's an example, "I do not speak it in vanity, but simply record the fact, that I was not unemployed in my profession by the late John Jacob Astor;" He could have instead said, "I always worked for John Jacob Astor." For many more examples of this, read "Bartleby, The Scrivener" by Herman Melville. https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11231/pg11231.txt https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11231/pg11231.txt