Welcome back to our English lesson! Today, we’re diving into a crucial skill for effective communication, especially in spoken English: emphasising. At a B2 level, you’re already quite fluent, but mastering emphasis will take your English to the next level. This lesson will show you how to use emphasis to make your speech more engaging, clear, and impactful. Let’s explore how to really make your point!

What is Emphasising and Why is it Important?

Emphasising, simply put, is highlighting certain words or parts of a sentence to show they are important. It’s like putting a spotlight on key information. Think about it – when you speak your native language, you naturally emphasise words to express your feelings, clarify your meaning, or correct misunderstandings. In English, it’s just as vital!
Why is emphasising so important?

• Clarity: Emphasis helps you guide your listener to the most important information in what you’re saying. Without it, your message can sound flat and unclear.
• Impact: Emphasising key words makes your speech more dynamic and interesting. It grabs attention and makes your message memorable.
• Nuance: Emphasis can change the meaning of a sentence completely! Listen to how the meaning changes when we emphasise different words in this sentence: “I didn’t say she stole the money.” (Someone else said it), “I didn’t say she stole the money.” (I implied it, maybe), “I didn’t say she stole the money.” (I wrote it, or hinted at it), “I didn’t say she stole the money.” (Maybe someone else did), “I didn’t say she stole the money.” (Maybe she borrowed it), “I didn’t say she stole the money.” (Maybe she stole something else).
• Fluency and Naturalness: Native English speakers use emphasis all the time. Using it effectively will make your spoken English sound much more natural and fluent.

So, learning how to emphasise correctly is a key step in improving your spoken English fluency and achieving confident communication.

How to Emphasise in English: Techniques for B2 Learners

There are several ways to emphasise words and phrases in English. Let’s look at some of the most common and effective techniques you can start using today to improve your spoken English.

1. Stressing Words: The Power of Pronunciation

One of the most fundamental ways to emphasise is through word stress. This means saying certain words louder and slightly longer than others. Usually, we stress content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) more than function words (articles, prepositions, pronouns, auxiliary verbs – sometimes!).
Examples:

• “I really enjoyed the movie.” (Emphasising the degree of enjoyment)
• “She bought a new car.” (Emphasising the action of buying)
• “It’s an amazing opportunity.” (Emphasising the quality of the opportunity)

Practice Tip: Listen to native English speakers and pay attention to which words they stress. Try to imitate their stress patterns. You can use online dictionaries that show word stress (e.g., Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

2. Intonation: Riding the Voice Waves

Intonation is the rise and fall of your voice when you speak. Changes in intonation are crucial for emphasis and conveying emotion. A higher pitch on a stressed word can add extra emphasis.
Examples:

• “Are you sure?” (Rising intonation on “sure” to emphasise doubt or surprise)
• “That’s incredible!” (High pitch and rising-falling intonation on “incredible” to show strong excitement)
• “I’m not happy about this.” (Falling intonation on “not” to emphasise negativity)

Practice Tip: Record yourself speaking and listen to your intonation. Are you sounding monotonous? Try to exaggerate your intonation patterns to practice varying your pitch for emphasis.

3. Word Order: Positioning for Power

Sometimes, you can emphasise by changing the usual word order in a sentence. Moving a word or phrase to the beginning of a sentence can give it extra emphasis.
Examples:

• Normal: “I went to the park yesterday.”
• Emphasised (Time): “Yesterday, I went to the park.” (Emphasising when you went)
• Normal: “The food was delicious.”
• Emphasised (Adjective): “Delicious, the food was.” (More formal and dramatic emphasis on the food’s quality)
• Normal: “I need to tell you something important.”
• Emphasised (Importance): “Important, something I need to tell you.” (Emphasising the significance of what you’re about to say)

Practice Tip: Experiment with moving different parts of sentences to the front. Think about what meaning or feeling this shift in word order creates.

4. Cleft Sentences: Splitting for Focus

Cleft sentences are a more complex grammatical structure, but very effective for emphasis. They split a single sentence into two parts to highlight a particular piece of information. Common cleft sentence structures start with “It is/was…” or “What…”.
Examples:

• Simple Sentence: “John broke the vase.”
• Cleft Sentence (Emphasising who): “It was John who broke the vase.”
• Cleft Sentence (Emphasising what): “What John broke was the vase.”
• Simple Sentence: “I need a vacation.”
• Cleft Sentence (Emphasising what): “What I need is a vacation.”

Practice Tip: Start by practicing “It is/was…” cleft sentences. Identify the part of the sentence you want to emphasise and put it after “It is/was…”.

5. Auxiliary Verbs for Emphasis: Adding Extra ‘Do’s and ‘Did’s

We can use auxiliary verbs like “do,” “does,” and “did” for emphasis, especially in affirmative sentences. Normally, we don’t use these auxiliaries in affirmative sentences in the present simple and past simple, but adding them adds emphasis!
Examples:

• Normal: “I like chocolate.”
• Emphasised: “I do like chocolate!” (Emphasising that you really like it, maybe against someone’s assumption)
• Normal: “She works hard.”
• Emphasised: “She does work hard.” (Emphasising that she truly works hard, despite appearances)
• Normal: “He went to the meeting.”
• Emphasised: “He did go to the meeting.” (Emphasising that he actually went, perhaps when someone doubted it)

Practice Tip: Try adding “do,” “does,” or “did” to affirmative sentences when you want to strongly agree, disagree, or confirm something. Remember to stress the auxiliary verb!

Let’s Practice Emphasising!

Now it’s your turn to practice! Read the sentences below and decide which word or words you would emphasise to create the intended meaning. Then, read the sentences aloud, focusing on your stress and intonation.

1. Sentence: “I want to go to Italy next year.”
   Emphasis needed to show: It’s Italy, not another country.
2. Sentence: “She said she finished the report.”
   Emphasis needed to show: You doubt she actually finished it.
3. Sentence: “They are coming to the party.”
   Emphasis needed to show: You are surprised they are coming.
4. Sentence: “He gave me a book.”
   Emphasis needed to show: It was him, not someone else, who gave it.
5. Sentence: “We need to leave now.”
   Emphasis needed to show: It’s urgent, not later.

Answers and Explanations

1. Sentence: “I want to go to Italy next year.”
   Explanation: Stressing “Italy” clarifies the specific country you want to visit, distinguishing it from other possibilities.
2. Sentence: “She said she finished the report.” or “She said she finished the report.”
   Explanation: Stressing “said” or “finished” implies doubt. “She said…” suggests you question her words. “She said she finished…” suggests you doubt the completion itself.
3. Sentence: “They are coming to the party?” (Rising intonation) or “They are coming to the party!” (Surprised excitement)
   Explanation: Stressing “They” and using surprised intonation highlights your unexpectedness at their attendance.
4. Sentence: “He gave me a book.” or “It was him who gave me a book.”
   Explanation: Stressing “He” or using a cleft sentence “It was him…” emphasizes that the giver was specifically “him,” not someone else.
5. Sentence: “We need to leave now.”
   Explanation: Stressing “now” emphasizes the urgency of leaving at this precise moment, not later.

Great job practicing! Remember, mastering emphasis takes time and practice. Keep listening to native speakers, try these techniques in your own speech, and don’t be afraid to experiment.

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Keep practicing and keep learning! You’re doing great!