Emphasis

The English language uses the following means to make a word or a word-group prominent:

1) Using intonation in spoken language, prominent stress in word-group, or using bold type, italics, underlines, … can be used to express emphasis.

Eg: I have seen him. I have seen him lately.

2) A word or a word-group becomes emphatic when it is put in any abnormal position:

Eg:

Strangely fast fled his days in the valley.

Down, down they ski off the hill.

Foot steps, quick and light, mounted the stairs and went into the next room.

(Click "Read More" to see full details)

3) Constructions with an anticipatory “it” also serves the purpose of emphasis:

Eg:

It was he who broke the window.

It was in the middle of the night that the fierce fire burst out.

4) Sentences with the construction: of + objective case of the personal pronoun is also an emphatic construction:

Eg:

Not for the life of me could I do such a stupid thing.

It will be the unavoidable death of him.

I can not bear the terrible sight of it.

5) The so-called repetition group are another favorite device to make a word prominent:

Eg:

He added improvement after improvement to his machine.

She thought of it again and again.

It was miles and miles of winding forest path.

6) Abstract noun and names of materials are made emphatic when used in the plural:

Eg:

The snows and frosts of an Arctic winter killed them.

A thousand pardons were produced when she made a mistake.

7) The auxiliary verb “do” is used for emphasis:

Eg:

Do begin now!

Do be quiet!

We do understand what you say.

They never did get on together smoothly.

8) The reflexive pronoun is used for emphasis:

Eg:

He himself did it.

I do homework by myself.

You should do that on your own.