emphasis: fronting cleft sentences adverbs rel pronouns

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

What is "emphasis" and how can you emphasize something when you speak?

Emphasis

to emphasize

to highlight

to stress

Emphasis in Writing

Cleft Sentences

Fronting

Inversion

Emphasis - Cleft Sentences

1. Cleft sentences: A single message is divided in two clauses, the information that is emphasised is in the it or what part of the sentence.

• It-Clefts
• Wh-Clefts

ex 1: What really annoyed me about him is his dishonest attitude.
ex 2: What attracted my attention was a familiar face on the book cover.

Emphasis: Cleft Sentences

• It + is/was + (that):

  I like good marks but I hate studying for my tests  →

 I like good marks, but it is studying for my tests that I hate.

• All/The last thing + subject + verb + is/was:

 My students (don't) need a good mark to make my day →

All (/The last thing) my students need is a good mark to make my day.

Emphasis : Cleft Sentences

• What + Subject + auxiliary verb + is/was + infinitive :

They eat chocolate cake for breakfast every morning →

What they do is (to) eat chocolate cake for breakfast every morning .

• What + Subject + main verb + is/was + to infinitive

I want to find a good house to live in →

What I want is to find a good house to live in.

Cleft Sentences - practice

They often start with what or it. 

They bought things online.

Pete paid for our flight.

Change these sentences so that you emphasis the underlined word(S).

They bought things online.

Pete paid for our flight.

En nu andersom; verwijder de emphasis.

The reason why I'm phoning you is to say congratulations.

What I decided to do was to write a letter of complaint.

Emphasis in writing: Fronting

• Fronting: the Compliment or Direct Object is put before the Subject of the sentence:

Happy I was not until I won the lottery.

(I was not happy until I won the lottery)

I started eating chocolate 30 years ago. Cake I did not start to eat until last week.

Emphasis: Fronting

• Subordinate clause before the main clause:

Because he had not studied, he failed the exam.

• Preposition and adverb phrases before the Subject:

Despite the high costs, many people go on holidays.

• Verb before the subject afetr a linking word of sequence:

First came the warm wind and then, finally, came the Spring.

Move some of the sentence to the front to create emphasis:
Mr Tip was asking us to pull out our iPads before we could even sit down.

Eventueel kan ook:

The reason why he was so angry with you is because you ignored him for a week.

because is dan 'redundant' maar grammaticaal WEL acceptabel. 

Move some of the sentence to the front to create emphasis:
Suddenly, a tiger appeared from nowhere.

Inversion is used to create special emphasis.

When we use a negative adverb or adverb phrase at the beginning of the sentence instead of in its normal place.

Normal:

I have seldom seen such beautiful work.

Special emphasis:

Seldom have I seen such beautiful work.

+ Third conditional

Pick the correct emphatic version of this sentence:

"This has been my home for twenty years."

1. My home this is for twenty years
2. This my home is for twenty years
3. My home this has been for twenty years
4. This my home has been for twenty years

Pick the correct emphatic version of this sentence:

"The CEO of the company called me personally."

1. I was called by the CEO of the company personally.
2. It was the CEO of the company who called me personally.
3. Personally the CEO of the company has called me.
4. It was the CEO of the company, personally, who did call me

Pick the correct emphatic version of this sentence:

"The students never study for their tests."

1. What the students never do is study for their tests
2. What the students never do has been studying for their tests
3. It is studying for their tests that the students never do.
4. For their tests the students are never studying.

Pick the correct emphatic version of this sentence:

"Children have to eat vitamins during winter."

1. What the children needed to have done is eating vitamins during winter
2. It is eating vitamins that the children have to do during winter
3. During winter children have to eat vitamins
4. What the children have to do is eat vitamins during winter

Use inversion to create the correct emphatic sentence:
I in no way want to be associated with this project.

Use inversion to create the correct emphatic sentence: They had no sooner eaten dinner than the ceiling crashed onto the dining table.

Use inversion to create the correct emphatic sentence: We would understand what had happened that night only later.

Use inversion to create the correct emphatic sentence: The children should on no account go on their own.

Delete the emphasis: It was last weekend that Pete had his bike repaired.

Delete the emphasis: The last thing I was expecting was to lose my job.

Which of the following sentences uses emphasis by fronting?

1. She found a flower in the beautiful garden.
2. She found a flower, which was beautiful, in the garden.
3. She found a beautiful flower in the garden.
4. In the garden, she found a beautiful flower.

Use fronting: He became very afraid all of a sudden.

Eventueel kan ook:

The reason why he was so angry with you is because you ignored him for a week.

because is dan 'redundant' maar grammaticaal WEL acceptabel. 

Use fronting: Dick Schreuder was right in front of me!

Eventueel kan ook:

The reason why he was so angry with you is because you ignored him for a week.

because is dan 'redundant' maar grammaticaal WEL acceptabel. 

Use fronting: She usually goes to a museum at weekends.

What do you think is the easiest part of emphatic grammar?

What do you think is the hardest part of emphatic grammar?