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Emphasis in English Grammar Explained

The document explains how to add emphasis in sentences using cleft sentences, inversion, and emphatic auxiliaries. Cleft sentences allow for emphasis on different parts of a sentence, while inversion with negative adverbials creates a formal effect. Emphatic auxiliaries stress the auxiliary verb to enhance meaning, and can also be used to add emphasis when no auxiliary is present.

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34 views3 pages

Emphasis in English Grammar Explained

The document explains how to add emphasis in sentences using cleft sentences, inversion, and emphatic auxiliaries. Cleft sentences allow for emphasis on different parts of a sentence, while inversion with negative adverbials creates a formal effect. Emphatic auxiliaries stress the auxiliary verb to enhance meaning, and can also be used to add emphasis when no auxiliary is present.

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kotapaulina
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Do you know how to add emphasis using cleft sentences, inversion or

auxiliaries?
Look at these examples to see how we use these structures.
What he loves about hiking is that it doesn't feel like exercise.
Not only did she sing at the talent show, she also danced!
I know it may surprise you, but I really do know quite a bit about
this.

Grammar explanation
We can use different grammatical structures to add emphasis, either to a whole
sentence or to highlight one particular part of it.

Cleft sentences
Cleft sentences allow us to emphasise different parts of the sentence,
depending on which part is the most important. Cleft sentences are usually
introduced by it or by a clause beginning with what.

Cleft sentences beginning with it


Here is a simple sentence with no particular emphasis.
You invited me to the party yesterday.

We can emphasise different elements of this sentence by 'fronting' them, that is,
moving them to the front of the sentence after it + be.
It was you who invited me to the party yesterday.
Emphasis: you (not another person)
It was yesterday that you invited me to the party.
Emphasis: yesterday (not another time)
It was the party that you invited me to yesterday.
Emphasis: the party (not another event)
Cleft sentences beginning with what
What clauses + be are common in spoken English. They emphasise the part of
the sentence that is outside the what clause.
What I like best about going to the cinema is talking about the
film afterwards.
What drives me up the wall is people talking during the film.
What I found was that the films my friends liked were very
different from the ones I liked.
*This kind of cleft sentence can also begin with where, why, who, how, etc.
How the kids did this is still unclear to me.

*We can also put the what clause at the end of the sentence.
The game we played was what I liked the most.

Inversion with negative adverbials


We can also use inversion to add emphasis. It has a more formal, persuasive
and impressive effect.
To invert a sentence, we put the adverbial (e.g. never, rarely, not only, etc.) at
the beginning and change the normal position of the subject and the auxiliary
verb.
Rarely have I read such an original story.
(I have rarely read such an original story.)

If there is no auxiliary verb, we need to add one.


Not only do they have live reptiles but you can also touch them.
(They not only have live reptiles but you can also touch them.)

Little, no sooner and not


Some other negative words and expressions used like this are little, no sooner,
never and not.
Little did I realise that the restaurant was about to close.
(I didn't realise that the restaurant was about to close.)
No sooner had we got inside than the concert ended!
Not a single positive comment did I hear from Will.

Emphatic auxiliaries
In spoken English, we often stress the auxiliary verb to add emphasis.
A: Why aren't you coming to my birthday party?
B: I am coming! Who told you I'm not?!
If there is no auxiliary verb, we can use do, does or did to add emphasis. This
works in both spoken and written English.
A: I know you weren't keen on the exhibition.
B: I did like some of it. (You thought I didn't like it.)
A: Maybe that's why she was so happy.
B: That does make sense, actually. (I hadn't understood why
before.)
In British English, do can also be used this way to make a command more
emphatic. This sounds quite formal.
Do sit down, please.
Do be quiet!

Common questions

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In British English, 'do' can formally emphasize commands to strengthen politeness or urgency. This usage often conveys deference or respect. An example command is 'Do sit down, please,' suggesting politeness and a hint of insistence .

Inversion with 'never' changes the tone to formal and impactful by fronting 'never' and altering standard word order. This stresses uniqueness or rarity of an action. An example is 'Never have I seen such dedication,' underscoring the exceptional nature of the observed behavior .

Negative adverbials are used at the beginning of a sentence to create emphasis with inversion. This involves placing the adverbial first, followed by an auxiliary verb (if missing, then added), and the subject. An example is 'Rarely have I read such an original story,' emphasizing 'rarely' with inversion to sound formal and impressive .

Cleft sentences can emphasize different parts of a sentence by 'fronting' the desired element after 'it + be.' For example, in the sentence 'You invited me to the party yesterday,' emphasis can be placed on the subject by saying 'It was you who invited me to the party yesterday' . To emphasize the time, you can say 'It was yesterday that you invited me to the party' . To highlight the event, you use 'It was the party that you invited me to yesterday' .

'What' cleft sentences allow the speaker to emphasize the portion outside the 'what' clause. This structure brings attention to aspects deemed significant by the speaker. For example, 'What I like best about going to the cinema is talking about the film afterwards,' emphasizes the importance of the activity following the cinema experience .

Cleft sentences using 'where,' 'why,' 'who,' etc., emphasize specific aspects of the sentence, drawing attention to details that might otherwise be overlooked. For instance, 'The game we played was what I liked most,' features the cleft at the sentence's end to underline the particular element enjoyed by the speaker .

When sentences lack an initial auxiliary verb, inserting do/does/did creates emphasis, particularly to correct misunderstandings and assert facts. This construction suits both spoken and written contexts, adding formality and assertiveness. An example statement is 'I did like some of it,' used to emphasize a contrary action or feeling .

Inversion with 'no sooner' exudes a formal and dramatic tone by moving the phrase to the sentence start, necessitating auxiliary inversion. It often illustrates immediacy or sequential actions. An applicable example is 'No sooner had we got inside than the concert ended,' highlighting the rapid sequence of events .

Using 'little' at the start of a sentence with inversion creates emphasis by altering normal word order and adding an auxiliary verb if needed. It provides a formal tone and highlights the speaker's lack of awareness, as in 'Little did I realise that the restaurant was about to close,' emphasizing the unexpectedness of the realization .

Emphatic auxiliaries emphasize a point by stressing the auxiliary verb, especially in spoken English. If there's no auxiliary, do/does/did is inserted. For instance, in response to a misunderstanding, someone might say 'I did like some of it,' stressing 'did' to correct the misconception about their opinion .

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