Writing: Style, Tone & Register C1 - Lesson 7: Using Emphatic Structures for Impact (What I mean is...)

C1 Writing: Impact

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The Spotlight

Emphatic Structures

I hate the traffic.

Standard sentences are flat. Use Cleft Sentences (Splitting the sentence) to direct the reader's attention.

1. The "What" Cleft (Focus on Noun)

"What I really need is a holiday."

2. The "It" Cleft (Focus on Subject)

"It is the price that concerns me."

3. The "All" Cleft (Minimizing)

"All we did was ask a question."

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Rewrite Engine

Standard ➔ Emphatic

Input Source 01:

"I really want to improve my writing."

Target Focus: "Improve writing"

-- Select C1 Structure -- I want to write better. What I really want to do is improve my writing.

Input Source 02:

"The government caused the crisis."

Target Focus: "The Government"

-- Select C1 Structure -- It was the government that caused the crisis. The crisis happened because of the government.

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Spot the Structure

Identify the High-Impact Sentence

1. "We need more time."

2. "John broke the window."

3. "I only asked for help."

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Mission

Add Drama

Task: Take a boring opinion (e.g., "I like coffee") and make it dramatic using Cleft Sentences.

• "What..." (e.g., What I love most is the smell of coffee).
• "It is..." (e.g., It is the caffeine that wakes me up).
• "All..." (e.g., All I want is a quiet morning).