Emphasis in paragraph

Emphasis is the principle of the paragraph

composition in which the important ideas are made
to stand. In here it is very important that the main
points of the writer should be evident inside the
paragraph.
Having an emphasis can be achieved by using some
devices such as the use of emphasis by proportion,
emphasis by pause and emphasis by position. In the
emphasis by proportion, the subordinate ideas
should be given less substance while ideas which
have greater importance should be given more
substance. In the emphasis by pause, the emphasis
is established by making chapter divisions,
paragraph breaks as well as mark of punctuation. In
the emphasis by position, the beginning and end of
the paragraph are considered as crucial points where
emphasis should be placed, emphasis are usually
positioned in these places
EXAMPLE:
From An Entomological Study of Apartment 4A
Patricia Volk
The phone rings. It rings all day. Louis Sorkin is
the of insect emergencies. If you open your safe and
bugs fly in your face or you need to know whether
New Mexican centipedes produce cyanide. Sorkin's
your man.
He studies two flies I found in the bathroom
windowsill. There's no masking his disgust.

note: The short, direct second paragraph following

the longer, more conversational paragraph
emphasizes Louis Sorkin's reaction.
The third and last requirement of a well
constructed paragraph is EMPHASIS. Emphasis
means force or stress. You may have a fairly wellorganized, coherent, unified paragraph that is lacking
in emphasis. The main idea of the paragraph must be
stressed in every sentence. It must not be hidden in
a mass of useless details and unnecessary
explanations. For instance, you should tell what kind
of soap is best for washing a cocker spaniel, but you
should not describe the soap or discuss the kinds of
soap that will not do; such facts weaken the
emphasis of your paragraph. You can be sure that
you are stressing the main idea by keeping the same
subject in every sentence, whenever this is possible.
In the paragraph about washing the cocker spaniel,
the subject of each sentence could be you
understood. Such a subject would be better than
dog because then each simple predicate would
have too many helping verbs, and the object of all
good writing is to avoid unnecessary words. In this

way you are likely to improve the unity because it

will not be so easy to go off the track. You are much
less likely to introduce unrelated ideas if you are not
changing subjects. Detailed development is just as
important in a paragraph as in a whole composition
indeed, no essay can be rounded out unless its
paragraphs are.
ACTIVITY I
Read the paragraph and answer the following
questions.
Miami is the perfect place to take a vacation. It is
always sunny and warm. The beaches are gorgeous,
with soft white sand and beautiful water. There are
many fine restaurants in the Miami area, and most of
the hotels offer terrific entertainment nightly. Its no
wonder that Miami is my first choice for a vacation
destination.
1. the main idea of the paragraph is
_________________________________________________
_____
2. the repeated words to give emphasis in the
paragraph consist of
_____________________________________
3. the author employs repetitions of these words
for reason that

_________________________________________________
_________________

BY REPETITION
Is some words that are said repeatedly with a
purpose. Just like the model text where investing is
written three times purposively by the author. The
simplest way to secure emphasis in a paragraph is
through the repetition of key words or phrases or the
use of synonyms or pronouns referring to specific
antecedents. The reader keeps thinking of the
specific idea if he sees the same expression a
number of times.
EXAMPLE:
The proportion is peace. Not peace through the
medium of war; not peace to be haunted through the
labyrinth of intricate and endless negotiations; not
peace to arise out of universal discord, fomented
from principle, in all parts of the empire; not peace to
depend on the juridical determination of perplexing
questions, or the precise marking of the boundary of
a complex government. It is simple peace; sought in
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its of peace, and laid in principles purely pacific.

Edmund Burke, Speech on Criticism
This new world will be very much different from the
world which my generation knew and deplored. It will
be a world of change, because we are building anew;
it will be a world in which there will be greater
equality among peoples and races and classes; it will
be a world in which the young will participate, and
will insist on participating. As young activism
demonstrated in national and international affairs.
They will do so not for the sake of doing so, but
because they know that unless they do so they
cannot change things for the better. It will be a world
in which changes will be revolutionary, because they
will upset old and established ways; but they will be
the result of a transformation, not an overturning, of
the institutions of man. Carlos P. Romulo, A New
World is Emerging, Phil. Panorama, July 16, 1975

BY POSITION
This is done when the emphatic parts are found
either at the beginning or end of the paragraph or
even both.
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The beginning and end of a composition a

paragraph and a sentence are the position of
greatest emphasis. They should be used to stress the
important ideas.
Positioning sentences is an easy way to provide
correct stress. The important positions in a
paragraph are the beginning and the end Yet many
writers carelessly ignore the principle and place a
minor thought even an irrelevant point- in the first
sentence and the minor thought is the final
sentence-perhaps an afterthought not properly
related to the main idea. The stress offered by these
positions in paragraphs is too important to discard
carelessly.
Clever revisers improve their first drafts
spectacularly by moving important thought to the
first and final positions. Sometimes by change alone,
a cloudy paragraph focuses sharply. This is a
technique for a writer in a hurry whose work is clear
and fairly correct. How can this writers gain
maximum results from a few minutes of revision? By
moving major ideas to position of prime importanceparagraph beginnings and endings.
The beginning and ending are the most prominent
parts of a paragraph. A good practice then is to put
the ideas which you wish to emphasize at the
beginning or at the end. The less important
sentences are in the middle where they are used to
supply the details. Sometimes the last sentence is a

recapitulation or a restatement of the main thought

or topic.
Example:
In this example, note how the author achieved
emphasis by repeating the first sentence at the end
of the paragraph.
There in the mist, enormous, majestic, silent, and
terrible, stood the great wall of china. Solitarily, with
the indifference of nature herself, it crept up the
mountain side and slipped down to the depth of the
valley. Menacingly, the grim watch towers, stark and
four square, at due intervals stood at their posts.
Ruthlessly, for it was built at the cost of a million
lives and each one of those grey stones has been
stained with the bloody tears of the captive and the
outcast, it forged its dark way through a sea of
rugged mountains. Fearlessly, it went on its endless
journey league upon league to the furthermost
regions of Asia, in utter solitude, mysterious like the
great empire it guarded. There in the mist,
enormous, majestic silent and terrible, stood the
Great Wall of China.

BY PARALLEL STRUCTURES
This is applied when series of ideas, phrases,
sentences or questions are stated. It is not mere
repetition of words but it is mere weighing of
thoughts of the same value if parallel way.
Example:
I am youth of the present: Young as I am. I am aware
of whats going on around me. I can see the way our
national economy is struggling in order not to drown;
I understand why our political structures is almost
crumbling to pieces; I know how our justice system is
slowly, slowly falling apart because of corrupt and
unprincipled justice. And it saddens me to see that
our country is starting to take God for granted. That
gives us a lot of problems!
Parallelism is the use of similar patterns of words (or
grammatical forms) to express similar or
related ideas or ideas of equal importance. Using
parallel structures creates rhythm and balance and
enables the writer to present ideas clearly, concisely,
and smoothly. Perhaps even more
importantly, parallelism can help a writer highlight or
emphasize information or make a powerful
point. Without parallelism, writing can become
clunky, awkward, and needlessly confusing. With it,
reading can become easy to understand, pleasing to
the ear, and even persuasive.
Examples:
Golf requires hand-eye coordination, flexibility,
and concentration.
Jack is responsible for loading the trunk, cleaning
the seat cushions, and checking the engine.
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PARALLELISM IN PAIRS
In pairs, parallel structures are usually connected
with one of the following:
a coordinating conjunction (such as and, but,
and or)
a pair of correlative conjunctions (such as
either/or, neither/nor, and not only/but also)
a word introducing a comparison (such as than
or as).
Examples:
Parallel: At many high schools, truancy can result in
suspension or expulsion from school.
Non-parallel: At many high schools, truancy can
result in suspension or being expelled
from school.
Parallel: The new ingredient will reduce the fat and
increase the taste of our burger patty.
Non-Parallel: The new ingredient will reduce the fat
in our burger patty, and the meat will
have more taste.
Parallel: I always believed that giving was better
than receiving.
Non-Parallel: I always believed that giving was better
than to receive.
Parallelism in Paragraphs
Extending the concept of parallelism beyond the
length of a sentence and into an entire paragraph (or
more) can result in some very powerful and effective
writing, emphasizing certain points or feelings. Check
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out how extending the repetition of key words and

grammatical structures adds to the strength of this
portion of a paragraph from Nikki Giovanni's
"Pioneers: A View of Home"
Example:
I submit that just as slavery took away our choice, so
also did the over-crowded, disease-ridden cities of
Europe; so also did religious persecution; so also
did the abject and all but unspeakable Inquisition of
the Spanish; so also did starvation in Italy; so also
did the black, rotten potatoes lying in the fields of
Ireland. They all came to the New World in a cruise
ship. They all came because they had to.
Building up for emphasis
One last parallel structure consideration is the order
in which you put your grammatical items. Try saving
your most powerful or important item till the end of
the list. This creates a sense of building up to the
most crucial point, and, as it is the last part of the
sentence the reader will read, it is the part of the
sentence most likely to stay in the reader's
mind. You can really leave your reader with
something to remember and think about by
employing this strategy.
Examples:
When the pesticide plant burned down, the small
town was left with unused buildings, serious
unemployment, and a fourth of its citizens dead.
To be a professional athlete, one needs great
physical skills, courage, intelligence, and,

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perhaps most of all, an unflinching desire to

succeed.
EXERCISE
Select the sentence that illustrates the use of proper
parallel construction. Encircle the letter.
1.) a. Phuong Tran has wit, charm, and she has an
extremely pleasant personality.
b. Phuong Tran has wit, charm, and a pleasing
personality.
2.) a. In English class, Ariana learned to read poems
critically and to appreciate good prose.
b. In English class, Ariana learned to read poems
critically and she appreciated good prose.
3.) a. Raoul's QPA is higher than Ralph.
b. Raoul's QPA is higher than Ralph's.
4.) a. He wanted three things out of college: to learn
a skill, to make good friends, and to learn about life.
b. He wanted three things out of college: to learn
a skill, to make good friends, and learning about life.
5.) a. Coach Espinoza was a brilliant strategist, a
caring mentor, and a wise friend.
b. Coach Espinoza was a brilliant strategist, a
caring mentor, and friend.
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6.) a. We found the film repulsive, offensive, and we

thought it was embarrassing.
b. We found the film repulsive, offensive, and
embarrassing.
7.) a. Mr. Nguyen kept his store clean, neat, and he
made it conveniently arranged.
b. Mr. Nguyen kept his store clean, neat, and
conveniently arranged.
8.) a. Professor Ali rewarded his students for
working hard on the final project and going beyond
the call of duty.
b. Professor Ali rewarded his students for their
hard work on the final project and going beyond the
call of duty.
9.) a. There's nothing I like better than finding a
good trout stream, setting up camp, and spending a
couple of days fishing.
b. There's nothing I like better than finding a good
trout stream, setting up camp, and to spend a couple
of days fishing.

BY CLIMACTIC ORDER
Emphasis may be also secured in a paragraph
through the ordering of sentences in climactic order.
This arrangement not only achieves stylistic
effectiveness but also lures the reader to read on
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eagerly until he reaches the dramatic idea at the

end.
Climactic ordering is particularly useful within a
single paragraph when your idea is too complex to
present all at once. In that case, you need to
introduce an aspect of that idea and then develop it
as you go along, saving your most important point
until the very end of the paragraph.
"What is true for paragraphs is true for entire essays.
An effective argumentative essay will almost always
present the least important evidence first and the
most important last, becoming more convincing and
emphatic as it moves along."
Climactic Order in Paragraphs
- An appeal to logic might be arranged in climactic
order, beginning with a general statement,
presenting specific details in order of increasing
importance, and ending with a dramatic statement, a
climax. Here Patrick is using scientific predictions to
arouse and alarm a general, nonscientific audience:
Consider the potential effect of just a small increase
in the earth's atmospheric temperature. A rise of only
a few degrees could melt the polar ice caps. Rainfall
patterns would change. Some deserts might bloom,
but lands now fertile might turn to desert, and many
hot climates could become uninhabitable. If the sea
level rose only a few feet, dozens of coastal cities
would be destroyed, and life as we know it would be
changed utterly.

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Note the climactic arrangement of details in the

following paragraph:
Is there such a thing as being given too much of what
we want? Most people would answer no, that if we
want something, and especially if we are paying for
it, we should receive as much as possible. However,
when it comes to our automobiles, there is one thing
that is over-supplied to us by manufacturers: speed.
It is so overabundant that it is a danger to us and to
others; excessive speeding leads to more traffic
accidents and fatalities. Another less tangible but
equally serious and harmful result is an increased
dependence on oil. One way to get away from these
harmful effects would be for the manufacturers to
install in every car a governor, a mechanism that
regulates the speed of the car. This should be done
so as to create a maximum speed for all cars on the
road.
During my lifetime I have dedicated to myself to this
struggle of the African people. I have fought against
while domination, and I have fought against black
domination. I have cherished the ideal of a
democratic and free society in which all persons live
together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It
is an ideal which I hope to live for and to see
realized. But if need be, my Lord, it is an ideal for
which I am prepared to die. Nelson Mandela,
Student Action on Apartheid in South Africa
if you go over the above paragraphs illustrating
emphasis, you will find that they are also coherent

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and unified, and if you examine the examples of

coherence and unity, you will realize that they also
emphatic. Indeed, any carefully constructed
paragraph possesses all three qualities; unity,
coherence, and emphasis.
EXERCISE
Emphasize each of these ideas in paragraph.
1. The isolation of Africa is a reflection not so much
of its real isolation, as it is of the western worlds
ignorance of it.
2. The traditions in Asia hamper development.
3. Among the Muslims, education of the young is a
religious duty.
4. The winds of change blow upon the face of
Asia.
5. The Philippines is ahead of most south Asian
countries in popular education.

Reference:
Writing skills in the discipline.
College English for today 1
http://writingcenter.unlv.edu/writing/parallel.html
(Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy II, The Scribner
Handbook for Writers, 3rd ed. Allyn and Bacon, 2001)
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