To give speech a more expressive and emotional coloring, various language techniques can be used. Most often, such techniques include emphatic designs. The article will deal with emphatic constructions in English and their features.
What is emphase
The word "emphase" is of Greek origin and translates as "expressiveness." Under this concept, the means of various levels of the language are used, which are used to give speech expressiveness and brightness. Without emphase, speech would be dry, empty, unemotional, more like a robot’s speech.
Knowing the laws and rules of emphatic sentences in English is useful not only to professional translators, but also to any people who study the language and want to reveal and understand all its possibilities.
Usually emphase appears at the following levels of the English language:
- phonetic: level of sounds and intonation;
- grammar: includes non-standard grammatical constructions that emphasize or reinforce those moments of speech to which the speaker wants to draw attention;
- lexical: expressiveness of speech is given using words that have a characteristic emotional coloring;
- lexical and grammatical.
At the phonetic level, emphase is most often transmitted through intonation, interjections, and so on. If the speaker wants to focus on any part of his statement, then semantic stress is used for this.
But more obvious examples of emphase lie in grammar and vocabulary.
Inversion as emphase
The most frequent and striking emphatic construct in English is inversion.
In English there is a fixed word order, unlike Russian. The subject usually follows the predicate, followed by the minor members of the sentence. But in emphatic constructions, the phenomenon of inversion can be observed. The term literally means "rearrangement." In other words, some members of the proposal may leave their places and occupy others, usually unusual for them.
Inverse minor sentence members
Examples of emphatic constructions in English using inverse minor terms are as follows.
The original sentence is:
I shall never forget this day! - I will never forget this day!
In this sentence, the usual word order is the subject, predicate, the remaining members of the sentence. Despite the semantic emotionality, it does not make a vivid impression and sounds rather dry from an emphatic point of view.
With inversion, the word order will be different, for example:
Never shall I forget this day!
or
This day shall I never forget!
In these proposals, the first place is not subject, as in the original example, but secondary members of the proposal. The predicate is made before the subject. From this, the emotional coloring becomes completely different.
When translating emphatic constructions in English, special attention must be paid to the element that takes on the “shock part” of emphase. In the first case, the inverted sentence should be translated as: “I will never forget this day!”. In the second case: "This day I will never forget!". In both cases, what comes to the fore is what the speaker considers most important. Often this is further emphasized by intonation.
Other examples:
No Inversion: This is a lovely picture. - This is a wonderful picture.
Inverted: Lovely is this picture! - This picture is just wonderful!
No Inversion: She will understand you only when it's too late. “She will understand you only when it is too late.”
Inverted: Only when it's too late will she understand you. “Only when it is too late will she understand you.”
Typically, the following words are used for inversion:
- only - only;
- hardly - hardly;
- never - never;
- not until - only when;
- no sooner than - not earlier than others.
A few more examples of inversions:
Not until you apoligize for your behavior can you go out of your room. “Only when you apologize for your behavior can you leave your room.”
No sooner that he explains the whole situation to me, can I make any conclusion. - Not before he clarifies the whole situation to me, I can draw conclusions.
Hardly have you talked to me lately! “You barely talk to me lately!”
Adding do / does / did
The auxiliary verbs do / does / did are also a frequent case of emphatic constructions in the English language. In this capacity, they themselves are not translated into Russian, but tell the translator that there is an emphase in front of him. Therefore, in the translation you can use words such as "really," "truth," "really," and others.
Source example:
I love beatiful sunsets in this time of year. “I love the beautiful sunsets this time of year.”
Emphase offer:
I do love these beatiful sunsets in this time of year! “I really love the beautiful sunsets this time of year!”
Another example:
He washed the dishes yesterday. “He washed the dishes yesterday.”
He did wash the dishes yesterday! “He really washed the dishes yesterday!”
The construction of it is / was ... who / that
This design is also a frequent case of grammatical emphase and resembles inversion. This type of emphase is also used to emphasize an important element of the sentence, its special meaning. It is usually translated using the words "exactly", "just", etc.
For instance:
It is me who is always responsible for everything! - It’s me who is always responsible for everything!
It was you who failed me. “It was you who let me down.”
It was that rain that ruined our plans. “That rain ruined our plans.”
It is when you talk to me like that that I begin to hate you. “When you talk to me like that, I start to hate you.”
It was that spring sun that lured me out of my house at last. “That spring sun finally lured me out of the house.”
Constructions with the word "what"
A similar emphatic construct can be used with the word "what" at the beginning of a sentence. It is translated using clarifying constructions in Russian.
For instance:
What I need to tell you won't take much time. “What I'm going to tell you will not take much time.”
What he usually specifies is the lack of facts in this particular matter. - What he usually emphasizes is a lack of facts regarding this issue.
What you need is a cup of tea and good rest. “What you need is a cup of tea and a good rest.”
Constructs All that / the only ...
This is another example of emphase in English.
Examples include:
All that she desires is having a normal life. “All she wants is to have a normal life.”
The only thing Tom cared about was to protect Sally from any evil and sorrow. “All Tom wanted was to protect Sally from all evil and sorrow.”
And everyone knows:
All you need is love. - All you need is Love.
It's high time / about time / past time / just the time design
These designs can also be used in English. They translate as "time", "it's time", "it was time for a long time."
Examples:
It's high time you find a new job! “It's time for you to find a new job!”
It was just the time for him to come, but he never did. “It was time for him to come, but he never came.”
It's about time to have a cup of coffee. “It's time to have a cup of coffee.”
The construction with the question word + ever
An interesting and frequent case of emphase is the addition of the ever particle to the question words who, what, why, how, when, and so on. It is usually translated with the help of particles “no” and “no”. This emphatic construct in English is most often used at the beginning of a sentence.
Examples of designs:
Whoever knocks on that door, don't open it. - Whoever knocks on this door, do not open.
Whatever he says doesn't matter much to me. “Whatever he says, it doesn't matter to me.”
Why ever you did this, it was a mistake of yours. “Why you did it, it was your mistake.”
However long it may take, I will wait for you. “I will wait for you, no matter how much is required.”
Whenever he plays this game, he loses. - Whenever he plays this game, he loses.
Constructs with so, neither ... nor
These unions are also used in emphase, but are less pronounced in expressiveness.
Examples:
You like this land, so do I. - You love this country, as I do.
Jack knows what he did, and so does mr. Ripley. “Jack knows what he's done, like Mr. Ripley.”
You can neither be with me, nor leave me in rest. “You can neither be with me nor leave me alone.”
Twice no
English learners know that only one negation can be used in a sentence. In Russian, you can say, for example: "No one ever spoke to him like her." This sentence uses three negatives. This translates into English as "Nobody ever talked to him like her", that is, only one negation is used.
However, double negation may appear in emphatic constructions to give expressiveness to the sentence. Usually, a negative prefix is used as the second negation.
For instance:
I can't say that I disagree totally. - I can’t say that I completely disagree.
His action was not quite illegal. - His act was not completely illegal.
It is not impossible that he falls in love with Jane. - It is not impossible (it is possible) that he will fall in love with Jane.
Emphatic constructions: teaching students
Usually studied emphatic constructions in English in grade 10. It is important for students to become familiar with the basic constructions and pay special attention to their translation. It is from a competent interpretation that the perception of information and the preservation of emphase depend. An inaccurate translation of such constructions from Russian into English or from English into Russian contributes to the loss of emphaticity, and, consequently, the loss of meaning.
Pupils should be able to work in grade 10 with emphatic English sentences. Exercises may include:
- Translation: Before making the sentences themselves, students must learn how to translate the basic constructions.
- Explanation: When performing exercises on emphatic sentences in English, students must themselves explain the reasons why emphase is used in these cases.
- Self-written proposals. When students are comfortable enough, it will not be difficult for them to make sentences with emphatic constructions. It is advisable to work out each of them several times.
Examples of translation exercises:
Translate the sentences into English.
1. It was in the park that we first met.
2. None other than Jack, robbed this bank.
3. It was Lisa who performed the verification work without errors.
4. It is you who cannot come to work on time.
5. It is Rita who attends the dance club, and not Lena.
Examples of explanation exercises:
Translate and explain the use of the emphatic construct.
1. The first part of this work did not come out until 1940.
2.Cotton was not introduced (to Japan) from China until later and wool was unknown.
3. "Utopia" was written in Latin about 1516, and it was not translated till 1551, some years after More's death.
4. Tennyson's last work, "Death of Oenone", was not published until after his death on October 6th 1892.
5. In England ancient fields indicate that no plow was used till late in the local bronze age, about 800 B. C., and then at first only in the south.
Examples of compilation exercises:
1. Make five sentences each with the constructs it is / was ... who / that and the constructs with the word what.
2. Make a sentence for each possible interrogative word using the ever adverb.
3. Create a dialogue using emphatic designs.
These are the main emphatic constructions in the English language. Their use is extremely important for understanding lively emotional speech and for high-quality translation. When teaching schoolchildren, as well as students of linguistic specialties, much attention should be paid to the analysis of emphase.