Emphasis

Emphasis

Emphasis is a form of exaggeration or amplification making things bigger in someway than they really are. This may use exaggeration words may just use normal words that are delivered in exaggerated way that gives them an enhanced significance.

Using Emphasis:

Emphasis causes attention An emphasized word says 'Look at me! I am more important than the words around me. Pay attention to my meaning.' If I say, 'You are so good' it drags attention to the emphasized word 'good'. It can be as if you just said 'good'. The other person will linger longer here, taking more notice of the feelings that the word invokes and pondering more your intent in making this emphasis. Using a pause before the word causes tension as the person wonders what will be said next. 'You are so...good'. Emphasis distracts When emphasis grabs attention for one word, it automatically removes attention from other words, distracting the person from something which you want to slip in without them really noticing them too much. If I say, 'You are so good to help tidy the house' you may be so focused on the 'good' that before you realize it, you find that you have volunteered to help tidy up. I Emphasis implies a contrast Emphasizing something often leads to it being contrasted with something else. Mary had a little lamb Mary, not Tom, had the lamb Mary had a little lamb She had it once, but she does not have it now Mary had a little lamb She had one, not two, and not 'the' lamb Mary had a little lamb The lamb was little, not big Mary had a little lamb It was a lamb, not a dog Look at the box above. You may well have spotted that emphasis invokes the opposite. You can use this if you want to imply a contrast. 'It's warm today' invokes memories of cold days, making today seem even warmer. 'You are very kind' contrasts the other person with less kind people, setting up their identity as a generous person (and allowing you to ask something else of them). Emphasis indicates arousal When a person uses greater emphasis, more frequently, then this is a typical indication that they are emotionally aroused in some way. It may be a simple passion for the subject. It may also be anger -- other language and non-verbal signals will indicate which. Emphasis in Writing: Strong words One way of enlivening and emphasizing in written text is to use strong words that trigger emotional reactions. Just as strong words in spoken language grab attention, so they also work in written work.  "If you really love me then you will..." Using space When a word or phrase is embedded within a sentence, it does not stand out as well. You can use the space on the page to make what you want people to remember to stand out, so... Remember to Save the Whales Text devices Written words can also be made to stand out by using the standard text devices, as below: Method Usage Italics Gives light emphasis. Use for subtle stressing of words. Underline More insistent. Works well for emphasis of a complete phrase. Some people only use italic and bold, in which case the difference will cause attention.  Bold Is clearly visible when you first look at the whole page. Can create tension as they read towards it. This can be useful if done deliberately. size Bigger fonts stand out more and small fonts recede. But beware of reducing readability by mixing font sizes too much.  punctuation! In particular the exclamation mark, gives a strong emphasis. Use sparingly. Be very careful when using multiple marks!!! It can be interpreted as either enthusiasm or attempted manipulation. UPPERCASE Is the written equivalent of shouting. Avoid where possible, including use in headings. Color There are many colors you can use. Brighter colors and those towards the red end of the spectrum stand out more. Blues and dark colors are more subtle. A neat usage is in headings (which often include the key message).  COMBINATIONS And you can combine any of the above, shouting in a deafening way. Intensifiers:  The basic intensifier is 'very' and can be used with many verbs. Other intensifiers often have the same meaning as 'very' but use different forms Intensifiers include: very, really, extremely, remarkably, fantastically, and many more. Method Amplify the effect of a verb by using an adverb that intensifies the meaning and particularly the emotional content. Use the intensifier to subtly suggest to the other person what emotions they should feel. In the same way, you can also use adverbs to attenuate and reduce the natural emotional content of a verb. Examples: That is very interesting. (basic intensifier) That is very, very interesting. (repetition to increase effect) That is extremely interesting. (suggests extreme response) That is amazingly interesting. (suggests being amazed) That is scarily interesting. (suggests being scared) That is quite interesting. (reducing intensity) That is a bit interesting. (reducing intensity) Sentence Emphasis Position of words: by placing an introductory word at the beginning of a sentence, the writer makes the reader pay attention to that word; the reader is then alert for the rest of the sentence. Example: The farmer wearily pushed the wheelbarrow. Wearily, the farmer pushed the wheelbarrow. Active Voice: the active voice (where the subject performs the action rather than receiving it) is more forceful than the passive voice, so the reader will pay attention. This is particularly effective if you want to come across as authoritative in your text. Example: The computer was broken by Matt. (passive voice) Matt broke the computer. (active voice) Repetition: just as your mother got you to clean your room by asking you repeatedly, you can get your reader’s attention by repeating words (adjectives and adverbs, usually) within the sentence. You can also use synonyms to reinforce a thought or idea. Just be careful you don’t overdo it. Example: The room was very, very large. It was a massively large room. Pattern Repetition creates a pattern, which consequently and naturally grabs our attention at first and then creates the comfort of familiarity. Familiarity Repetition creates familiarity, but does familiarity breed contempt?  Not scarcity An effect that can happen is that repetition repeals any scarcity effect, making something initially less attractive. When I work with a famous person, my initial state of being overawed might soon be replaced by dislike of their annoying habits.  Understanding Repetition can also lead to understanding, as it gives time for the penny to drop. What at first may be strange, after repeated exposure becomes clear and understandable. Convincing Some people just have to do things several times before they make up their mind. If so, you are in good company. Many people have to repeat things several times before they get convinced.  Trance Repetition is also a basis for trance states and is consequently a basis of hypnosis and hypnotic techniques. Very Short Sentences: a sentence only requires a subject and a verb. Using such a pared-down sentence will always grab the reader’s attention and leave little room for discussion. It’s best used after a relatively long sentence. Example: Am I going to throw my whole life away by studying the fine arts rather than something more dependable like business? I am. Interrogative or Exclamatory Sentences: this is an informal way of getting the reader to pay attention. It’s not recommended for formal writing. Example: The funds should not be transferred into a private account!