Emphasis, Clarity, and Specificity

AuthorEdwin Scott Fruehwald
ProfessionLaw Professor at the University of Alabama
Pages51-73
Chapter Goals
1. To help you start thinking about other aspects of your writing, such
as emphasis, clarity, and specicity.
2.
To show you how to emphasize important ideas and de-emphasize
less important ones in sentences.
3. To show you how to use placement to create emphasis and subordi-
nation in sentences.
4.
To show you how to use sentence structure to create emphasis and
subordination in sentences.
5. To show you how to use punctuation to create emphasis and subor-
dination in sentences.
6. To show you how to create clarity by making clear lists.
7. To help you avoid clichés and legal jargon.
8. To help you be specic; to help you write exactly what you intend.
9. To make you aware of the meaning of every word you write.
Emphasis
Everything in writing is not equally important. An effective writer empha-
sizes important ideas and subordinates secondary ones. Methods that a
writer can use to emphasize or de-emphasize include placement, sentence
51
Chapter 4
Emphasis, Clarity, and Specicity
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structure, and punctuation. This chapter will deal with emphasis in sen-
tences; Chapters 5 and 6 treat emphasis in paragraphs.
Placement of words or ideas in a sentence affects emphasis. Words at
the beginning and end of a sentence receive the most emphasis; words in
the middle the least. Consider the following examples.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who was killed by Jack Ruby, assassinated Presi-
dent Kennedy.
The man who was killed by Jack Ruby, Lee Harvey Oswald, assassi-
nated President Kennedy.
Jack Ruby killed the man who assassinated President Kennedy, Lee
Harvey Oswald.
Jack Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated President
Kennedy.
President Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, who was
killed by Jack Ruby.
President Kennedy was assassinated by the man killed by Jack Ruby,
Lee Harvey Oswald.
Each of these examples says the same thing, but each emphasizes a different
noun. For example, in the rst sentence, Lee Harvey Oswald is emphasized
by placement at the beginning of the sentence. Jack Ruby receives the least
emphasis because of placement in the middle of the sentence. With the pos-
sible exception of the passive sentences, no sentence is preferable. Rather, the
writer should use the sentence that provides the emphasis he or she desires.
Exercise 4-1
Rewrite the following sentences to change the emphasis. Consider vary-
ing the normal pattern of a simple sentence (object-verb-noun rather than
noun-verb-object) and using passive voice for emphasis.
1. Bill, Ann Smith’s son, attends Harvard.
2. Larry won the lottery.
CHAPTER 452
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