The Communicative Grammar of English Workbook - Edward Woods, Rudy Coppieters 2002

2.1. Emotive emphasis in speech 1
Unit two TWO. Emotion

Sections 298-301; 528

Emotive emphasis can be given in a variety of ways:

• interjections: words like oh, ah, wow, ouch, etc.

• exclamations beginning with what- and how-phrases which do not cause subject-operator inversion

• emphatic so and such

• repetition (which also denotes degree)

• stress on the operator

• nuclear stress on other words

• intensifying adverbs and modifiers

Task one *

Identify the various emotive features that you can find in the following extracts.

1. ’Well!’ thought Alice to herself. ’After such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they’ll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn’t say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!’ (Which was very likely true.)

Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end?

(from Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass, p. 13)

2. “You know something, Maria? We fought.”

“Fought?”

“We were in the goddamned jungle ... and we were attacked ... and we fought our way out.” Now he sounded as if the dawn were breaking wider and wider. “Christ, I don’t know when the last time was I was in a fight, an actual fight. Maybe I was twelve, thirteen. You know something, babe? You were great. You were fantastic. You really were. When I saw you behind the wheel - I didn’t even know if you could drive the car!” He was elated. She was driving. “But you drove the hell out of it! You were great!” Oh, the dawn had broken. The world glowed with its radiance.

(from Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities, pp. 98-99)

Task two *

Give emotive emphasis by adding the kind of element suggested by the ’prompt’ in brackets, changing the sentence structure where necessary.

1. John Thaw was a brilliant actor. (emphatic so/such)

2. You’re wearing a beautiful tie. (exclamation)

3. That was an awful thing to say. (repetition)

4. It was stupid of you to insult the ambassador like that. (exclamation)

5. I’m really disappointed now. (repetition)

6. The lounge is elegantly decorated. (emphatic so/such)

7. It would be far better to ignore that man altogether. (repetition)

8. When I came back, I felt exhausted. (emphatic so/such)

9. Joan’s mood changed suddenly again. (exclamation)

10. The Wilsons are nice people. (emphatic so/such)

11. Olive can be a charming hostess. (exclamation)

12. A bedbug is a tiny creature. (repetition)

Task three **

Underline the operators, modifiers, etc. which are likely to receive nuclear stress in the sentences making up the following dialogue. Add the dummy auxiliary do where it makes sense.

Helen: George, what are you doing so early in the morning?

George: I’m awfully sorry, but I had to get out of bed.

Helen: Tell me what’s the matter with you, then.

George: Well, I had the most horrifying nightmare.

Helen: You will have to calm down, you know. This isn’t an isolated thing. Something must be bothering you.

George: I can’t deny that. I’ve been terribly worked up lately.

Helen: I wish you’d tell me more. I have a right to know.

George: If I told you, you’d be incredibly angry.

Helen: You owe me an explanation. I am your wife, after all.

George: I decided to buy a hugely expensive car and it could ruin us.

Task four **

Complete the following sentences, using the most appropriate of the intensifying adjectives or adverbs in brackets. Use each word just once.

1. Most of the relatives were ... devastated by the terrible news.

2. The fact that I knew the local culture so well turned out to be a ... asset.

3. Yet another country in this volatile region is descending into ... chaos.

4. The evidence ... proves that the victim was killed with a blunt instrument.

5. We enjoyed two weeks of ... weather while we were cruising in the Pacific.

6. The stock market guru was ... knocked off his pedestal.

7. Five-star hotels are often associated with luxury and ... bills.

8. Jennifer was described by some experts as a ... beauty.

9. To be quite honest, I’m not ... impressed with Jim’s performance.

10. Are you ... going to get married to this unscrupulous person?

11. It was a ... idea to cut bus and tram fares in big cities.

12. The documentaries broadcast by National Geographic Channel are very interesting