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The Emphasis Principle

The Emphasis Principle. “Rethinking the Teaching of Grammar” by Rei R. Noguchi The English Record, Vol. 52 (2), 2002, pp. 22-26. PowerPoint Presentation Created by Elizabeth M. Hanson. Teaching Grammar,. especially the “drill and kill” type of instruction, may not improve

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The Emphasis Principle

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  1. The Emphasis Principle “Rethinking the Teaching of Grammar” by Rei R. Noguchi The English Record, Vol. 52(2), 2002, pp. 22-26 PowerPoint Presentation Created by Elizabeth M. Hanson

  2. Teaching Grammar, especially the “drill and kill” type of instruction, may not improve thequalityof grammar.

  3. Principles of Writing, Not Rules of Grammar, should be stressed when teaching expository writing.

  4. Grammar rules have limited effects. • “Never place a preposition at the end of a sentence.” • “Never use the passive voice.”

  5. Principles of Writing, however, hold true in many situations.

  6. TheEmphasis Principle guides the entire writing process, from start to finish.

  7. The Emphasis Principle: Akey idea is givenemphasis by placing it at the end of a sentence.

  8. Key Ideas are accentuated • Bill ate a ham sandwich yesterday for lunch. • For lunch, Bill ate a ham sandwich yesterday. • Yesterday for lunch, Bill ate a ham sandwich.

  9. The Emphasis Principle: When the key idea needs to be placed at the end of a sentence, the passive voice is permissible.

  10. Active versus Passive Voice • The active voice is not always right. • “Don’t write in the passive”can violate the Emphasis Principle.

  11. Active versus Passive Voice • CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER: The audience wondered who would get the science award. • Maria won it. • It was won by Maria.

  12. Answer B is correct • b. It was won by Maria. • It refers to the science award, which is old information. • Maria refers to the winner, which is new information.

  13. Prepositions and Emphasis • Pre + position means “not last in the sentence.” • This is theold Latin rule.

  14. Prepositions and Emphasis • “Where is heat?” violates this Latin rule. • “Where is he?” seems to solve the mystery.

  15. Prepositions and Emphasis • Yet, “Where is he?” can bevagueor ambiguous. • “Where is henear?” • “Where is hebehind?” • “Where is henext to?”

  16. The Emphasis Principle is an overarching principle that: (1) overrides Latin grammatical rules (2) guides sentence formation

  17. The Emphasis Principle (3) guides information in a paragraph (4) guides the arrangement of paragraphs within an essay; and

  18. The Emphasis Principle (5)ensures that the entire essay is driven by the correct placement of new information in the most salient positions so that the essay supports the thesis.

  19. The Emphasis Principle organizes paragraphs so the best idea is presented last to build an effective climax.

  20. The Emphasis Principle organizes essays so the best idea is presented last to conclude the essay.

  21. The Emphasis Principle • is an integrative guide for arranging information, and • is a holistic explanation for the informational structure of an essay.

  22. The Emphasis Principle has more potential for improvingthe overall writing quality than any single grammar rule.

  23. Most importantly, the Emphasis Principle is teachable.

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