Grammar - Emphasis

The way word order is used to obtain emphasis in a sentence depends on two considerations: what words do you wish to emphasize, and what positions within a sentence provide the most emphasis? In an English sentence, both the beginning and the end are the emphatic positions. The most important material is put in these positions, and less important material is placed in the middle. If unimportant details pile up at the end of the sentence, they may get more emphasis than they deserve, and the reader may feel that the sentence is “running down,” because he expects important information at the end and does not get it.

Without an emphatic structure

'On July 31, 1973, a plane crash which killed eighty-eight people and which was the first fatal crash for Delta Airlines in 95 billion passenger-miles occurred at Boston’s Logan International Airport.'

With an emphatic structure

'Eighty-eight people were killed in a plane crash at Boston’s Logan International Airport on July 31, 1973, the first fatal crash for Delta Airlines in 95 billion passenger-miles.'

The first version puts the date and place in the most emphatic positions in the sentence, the beginning and the end, and the number killed and Delta’s impressive safety record in the least emphatic position. The second version puts the most significant information where it will get the greatest emphasis, and fills in the middle with the place and date.

Exercises

Rearrange the parts of the sentences, with special attention on the placement of these parts to achieve emphasis when needed.

1. there is an air of/ an hour before sunrise/ cold, solitary desolation/ in the city/ about the noiseless streets
2. was a little girl/ one of the windows/ sitting on a grassy land/ of the church/ beneath
3. contained in all sorts/ a part of our lives/technology is becoming/ of products and services
4. typically the most important things we have/ public services are/ like education, safety, medical treatment and services, and transportation
5. we deliver public services/ by the use of technology/ for the first time/ we are seriously changing the way