Inverted Syntax

inverted syntax: reversing the normal word order of a sentence; e.g., "Whose words these are I think I know" {Robert Frost}

"To remove the liability of such misapprehension, I deem it proper to append the following brief explanation."
                                                                -Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
                                                                              by Frederick Douglass

Douglass writes this way to place emphasis on the purpose of his writing. By placing the purpose first, the sentence not only sounds more elegant, but immediately "clues the reader in." Douglass wants to clear any doubt, or confusion, up as quickly as possible.This sentence is in the beginning of the appendix to his first autobiography;Douglass wrote this section to clarify some of his claims in the book, and he wants the reader to know that he still stands by these claims, he only wishes the audience to understand them.