Class
Today's theme was Emphasis!
- Contrastive stress in speaking
- Cleft (divided) sentences in formal writing - like contrastive stress in speaking it often implies a contrast with a previous statement
- Intensifiers: So + adjective, so + adjective + a + noun, such + noun
Notes & Examples
So & Such
- It's so hot! I can't stand it.
- It took such a big effort to get out of bed this morning. (both of these are colloquial and emphatic uses - in some cases using very may be more appropriate)
- It's so cold that my ears are numb. (followed by a that clause to give a result)
- It was so difficult a journey that they feared they would not achieve their goal. (for formal contexts)
- So hot was the day that no one could work. (inversion for formal, dramatic contexts)
- So far did he travel that he had enough air miles for two round trips to London. (when the main verb is not be and there is no auxiliary verb, do is added)
Cleft Sentences
1. It + be to emphasise a subject, object or adverbial
It was Bonnie who saw Clyde.
It was on Thursday that the meeting took place.
It must have been Bonnie who saw him.
(If there is a modal in the sentence it goes before the verb be)
2. What..../All... + be to emphasise any part of the sentence including the verb.
Going to the theatre was what I particularly enjoyed about living in London.
What has happened is that many voters have become disillusioned with the process.
All I wanted was a glass of wine and a curry.
What we're doing is asking our customers for input.
3. Cleft sentences with relative clauses.
Use of general words e.g. person, time, place followed by a relative clause.
The person who is doing the best job is Travis.
The reason why she went to Singapore was to get away from him.
The month they decided on was January.
No comments:
Post a Comment