[B-A] Emphatic Devices

LET'S READ! 📖

Direction: Read the conversation below. Then, exchange roles with your mentor.

Emphatic Devices

Icon_Anna Happy

Anna

Hi, Cindy. Hey - what a cool sweater! Is it new?

Icon_Cindy

Cindy

Yeah, but such trouble it's given me you wouldn't believe. It was last week I bought it... Wednesday it was... but no sooner had I got home than I realized there was a big hole in the back.

Icon_Anna Happy

Anna

You should have tried it on in the shop.

Icon_Cindy

Cindy

I did try it on, but all I could see in the mirror was the front. It wasn't until I got home that I found the hole.

Icon_Anna Happy

Anna

How annoying!

Icon_Cindy

Cindy

Yeah, and when I went back to the shop, the shop assistant was so unhelpful.

Icon_Anna Happy

Anna

Rude was she?

Icon_Cindy

Cindy

Yeah, Not only did she say it was my own fault for not checking, but she also called the security guard.

Icon_Anna Happy

Anna

What a nightmare! That's all you needed!

Icon_Cindy

Cindy

I know. All I did was ask for my money back! Maybe I shouted a little, but it was only because she didn't listen to me. And then along comes this guard and tells me to leave. It was at that moment that the manager appeared.

Icon_Anna Happy

Anna

Oh no!

Icon_Cindy

Cindy

What happened was she took one look at the sweater and told the assistant to get me a new one. It was so cool. Off went the assistant to get it for me. All she could do was give me an angry look. But never again am I going back to that shop.

QUESTION

1. Why didn't Cindy notice the hole in the sweater when she tried it on in the shop?

2. How did the situation with the sales associate at the shop get resolved?

LET'S UNDERSTAND! 📚

Emphatic Devices

The repeated use of a word, phrase, or line to emphasize an important idea or cause the reader to take notice.

What + is/was and all + is/was

🔺 1. We can use what + clause + be to emphasize the part of a sentence that comes next, or the whole sentence.

Example:

I complained about the bad service.

What I complained about was the bad service.

🔺 2. We can use all + clause + be to emphasise that something is 'only' or 'simply'.

Example:

All I could see from this side is the green light.

I could only see the green light from this side.

🔺3. When we use what or all in this way, we can use the infinitive with or without to or we can use a subject with the verb. Sometimes we can use verb + ing.

Example:

All I did was (to) ask for my money back!

OR All I did was I asked for my money back!

What I hate is having to apologize.

OR What I hate is when I have to apologize.

🔺4. What and all can also be used in this way at the end of a sentence.

Example:

This sweater is exactly what I've been looking for.
That's all you needed.

It + is/was + that

🔺 5. We can use it + is / was to emphasize the part of a sentence that comes next. We use a that- clause for the rest of the sentence.

Example:

I bought this pair of pants last week.

It was this pair of pants (that) I bought last week.

Inversion

🔺 6. We can emphasize negative words and phrases by putting them at the beginning of a sentence. These items are followed by an auxiliary verb or modal before the subject.

at no point	never	only once
barely	never again/before	rarely
hardly	not once/ only	scarcely
little	not until/ later	under no circumstances

Example:

Not only did she say it was my fault, but she also called the police.
Never again am I going back to that restaurant.
Under no circumstances may you use this car.
Little did I know, but they were planning a surprise birthday party for me.

Other ways of emphasizing

🔺 7. We can emphasise nouns, adjectives and adverbs with such and so. Use such when there is a noun and when there is no noun.

Example:

That's such a nice sweater.

🔺 8. In conversation, we can show surprise, shock, etc. by saying What + noun or How + adjective.

Example:

What a shame!
What a pity!
What a cool sweater!
What a lovely weather!
How annoying!
How sad!
How funny!

🔺 9. We can use do / does / did + infinitive to emphasise an affirmative sentence in the present or past simple, especially when we want to show a contrast with what another person thinks.

Example:

Thanks for your help. I do appreciate it.

🔺 10. In conversation, we sometimes start a sentence or question with the most important word and then say the rest. But we can't normally do this in writing.

Example:

Such trouble it's given me you wouldn't believe.
Rude was she?

LET'S PRACTICE! 📝

Direction: Write five sentences about a problem you have had while shopping or purchasing something. Use these ideas or your own and emphatic devices from this unit. You have 1 minute preparation.

Last time I went shopping, what I wanted to buy was....

All I said was....

What happened was.....

Not only.....

Never again......