and end of phrases, clauses, and particularly sentences. Which is why
most sentences begin with a subject—the thing you most want your reader to pay attention to—and end with an
object, the next most important thing in the sentence. Right in the middle lies a
verb—at the center of attention in its own way.
But sometimes more radical tools are needed Indeed, interjections—even wholesale
inversions of word order—can
come into play Using a conjunction or other interjected word at the beginning of a sentence is a modest emphatic device.
Similarly, starting a sentence with a word other than the subject can add point to the statement. Similarly again,
repetition of words in key positions or repeated similar phrase or clause structures can pull a sentence or series of statements out of the ordinary and into the reader’s focus Using inversions, choosing interjections, and writing for effect can add punch to your words.”
Depending on how much pizzazz you are looking for or your
audience can tolerate,
you
can resort to certain rhetorical devices that fairly scream your intent.
“Hyperbole” is the intentional exaggeration of something to make a point There are millions of people here Exclamation points go quite naturally with hyperbole,
which should be used with similar caution and restraint. So too with words that border on the limits of taste and acceptability by whatever standards are in force for your audience
Expletives of whatever degree of severity or slang can draw attention.
Usually they are unwarranted, and always they risk causing dismay or disgust. But,
damn the torpedoes, give it a try!
Expletives of the grammatical sort—sentences that begin with
it or there and a form of “be”—have often been seen as a kind of emphasis, since they move the subject from its expected leading position in the sentence. However, any emphasizing e ect such sentences might have ever had has long since been lost in overuse. These more formal expletives are now
clichés of a sort and often emphasize only weak or sloppy writing.
Yet another device for emphasis is the sentence
fragment, usually a grammatical error but on rare occasions an acceptable method for calling attention to something:
“It was dark. Storm clouds. Thunder This technique is probably appropriate only to ction or poetry (if there) or personal correspondence. Fragments are often signaled or emphasized in themselves by the addition of ellipses.
A nal device for emphasizing is the use of
auxiliary verbs I do believe this is important This method borders on the mechanical devices listed above and should not be abused by overuse. Better to use variety
of structure and word choice,
attention to placement of keywords or phrases, and the selective application of more radical and mechanical devices to make sure that your writing has force and makes its important points clear to your readers.
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