By putting it as a matter-of-fact statement (assuming everything else was action packed) there is a massive shift that creates contrast in the piece and leaves a very concise point to shock/leave the reader with.
Answer: The most romantic Valentine's gift you could give someone is a coffee mug. Firstly most people drink coffee everydaying meaning that a mug would be used very frequently compared to some other gifts you could give like a flower, a flower would just look nice but slowly die and you would only have it for around 2 weeks. Another reason why a coffee mug is a good/romantic gift is that you can customize it such as having text or an image on a mug making it customisable. Lastly it is good because you can use it to hold things such as pens, pencils, markers, etc. Overall a coffee mug is an excellent Valentine's gift.
We had hoped they had sent us an invitation too.
In The Monkey's Paw, one of the authors' purpose is to make tension through the puzzle encompassing the monkey's paw. At the point when Sergeant Major Morris visits the Whites, he carries with him the extremely dubious and secretive story of the monkey's paw. He advises the Whites that he needs to dispose of it, the Whites are extremely intrigued, particularly Mr. White.