TECHNIQUES OF

EMPHASIZING IN
WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
By
Ashik K.
(Roll
No. 12)
Menon Soumya K.M.A. Menon (Roll
No. 31)
Shifna Azeez
(Roll
No. 48)

Emphasising - meaning

Give special importance or value to

(something) in speaking or writing.
(Oxford Advanced
Learner's Dictionary)

Need for
emphasizing
To project core idea
To make communication effective
To establish purpose
To ensure attention and retention

Ways to
Emphasize
Stron Usin
g
g
Word Spac
s
e

Headin
gs

Text
Devic
es

Parallelism

Short
Sentence

Repetition

Strong words
Strong words will trigger emotional reactions.
Strong words grab attention.
Verbs are the strongest words.
Use adverbs and adjectives sparingly.

Examples:
1)"If you really respect me then you will...
2)Tycoon rather than Successful businessperson

Emphasis in Writing (Cont.)

Using space
The space on the page can be used to make

people remember what is to stand out.

The more space one gives a topic, the more

emphasis the topic receives

Example:
Save the Whales

Emphasis in Writing (Cont.)

Headings
Headings in text are great places for emphasis

of key points you want to make.

You'll note that we use colored headings to
help them stand out (and to add some visual
variation in an otherwise deliberately simple
layout).

Emphasis in Writing (Cont.)

Text devices
O Written words can also be made to stand out

by using the standard text devices, as below:

Sl. Method
N
o.
1. Italics

2. Underline

3. Bold

Usage

Gives light emphasis. Use for subtle

stressing of words.
Eg: He had managed to
eattencookies.
More insistent. Works well for emphasis
of a complete phrase. Some people
only use italic and bold, in which case
the difference will cause attention.
Is clearly visible when you first look at
the whole page. The emphasized text
strongly stands out from the rest of the
text.
Eg: Donotturn off the computer
before shutting it down."

4.

5.

6.

7.

Punctuation!

In particular the exclamation mark

gives a strong emphasis. Use
sparingly. Be very careful when using
multiple marks!!! It can be
interpreted as either enthusiasm or
attempted manipulation
UPPERCASE Is the written equivalent of shouting.
Avoid where possible, including use
in headings.
Colour
There are many colours you can use.
Brighter colours and those towards
the red end of the spectrum stand
out more. Blues and dark colours are
more subtle. A neat usage is in
headings (which often include the
key message).
Size
Bigger fonts stand out more and
small fonts recede. But beware of
reducing readability by mixing font
sizes too much.

Parallelism
Constructions that compare or contrast paired
ideas naturally draw attention to the words that
emphasize those pairs.
Examples:
1)They resolved never to talk about each other but
always to talk with each other.
2)These mountains to the west are beautiful, yet the
mountains to the east are even more lovely.

Short Sentence
Using too many short sentences makes writing seem
needlessly choppy or repetitious.
An occasional short sentence, helps to keep readers
interest by staving off an overabundance of long
sentences.
It is also a simple way to emphasize an idea.

Example:
Before I got married, my mother told me that I
should plan things well in advance, that I should
use a wedding planner to take care of the details,
that I should pick a day at least six months away
and stick with it, and that I should focus my
energy on getting to know my future husband.
So I did.

Repetition
Use judicious repetition to emphasize an idea
or main point.
Though repetition can irritate if it is used
overmuch, it can be a very effective tool
when used appropriately and without
overkill.
In the following example, repetition helps
drive home the point the speaker is making.

Repetition(continued)
Example:
O Strangers arent always the people in another country;

sometimes they are the people next door. Strangers

arent always somewhere out there; sometimes theyre
the people in your home. A stranger isnt always
someone elsesometimes hes the person in your soul.
Repetition can help burn an image into your readers

mind or simply reinforce an important point.

Do not overuse repetition in your writing, it can make
your writing overly long and dull.

CONCLUSION
As with many other forms of communication, it
is very easy to over-do emphasis, to the point
where it no longer has any impact.
Emphasis works when it uses contrast with the
surrounding text, and when its use is a surprise,
not when it is used as a sledgehammer.
This may trigger confusion, which results in
them acting in a way that you do not want.

REFERENCES
www.writeexpress.com
www.

QUESTIONS IF ANY??

Thank
you...