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Sometimes you need to add emphasis to a statement – either in written or in spoken English.
One way is to add certain words, for example own, very, so, indeed, the, do, question words ending in –ever; and these adjectives and adverbs: actually, by no means, even, sheer, utter, utterly, absolutely, quite, simply, just.
To add emphasis to negative statements, we use: at all, in the slightest, the least bit, whatsoever.
Finally, we use anything but when we want to express that something is not what we expected it to be. Look at the examples on the right, then do the exercises to see if you can add emphasis to your English.
normal statement
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emphasis
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It was my idea.
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It was my own idea.
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The telephone rang at the same time as I was leaving the office.
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The telephone rang at the very same time / just as I was leaving the office. |
It was cold.
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It was very / so / just too cold.
It was very cold indeed.
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It was so important, I had to tell you.
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It was so important, I just had to tell you.
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I wasn’t interested in changing my job.
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I wasn’t at all / in the slightest / the least bit interested in changing my job.
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There were no flights left.
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There were no flights left whatsoever.
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I got the report finished.
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I actually got the report finished.
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It’s not certain the merger will go ahead.
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It’s by no means certain the merger will go ahead.
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Some people were wearing pullovers, it was so cold.
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Some people were even wearing pullovers, it was so cold. |
Her performance was magic.
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Her performance was sheer magic.
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This information is nonsense.
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This information is utter nonsense.
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This computer manual is useless.
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This computer manual is utterly useless.
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This computer programme is supposed to be easy but it isn’t.
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This computer programme is supposed to be easy but it’s anything but. |
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Best regards
Your
Jean Lennox
| Vocabulary box |
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English
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Deutsch
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emphasis
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Nachdruck
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by no means
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auf gar keinen Fall
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sheer
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durch und durch
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utter, utterly
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ganz
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merger
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Zusammenschluss
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