In Grammar 9-1, you learned how adverbs can add emphasis and intensity to what you say. Over the course of the next two grammar lessons, you are going to look at a variety of grammatical structures and vocabulary which do the same. This lesson will focus on using noun phrases and cleft sentences.
Noun Phrases
Simply put, a noun phrase is made up of a head noun and all the various modifiers and phrases connected to it.
- an instructor
- a yoga instructor
- my first yoga instructor
- the yoga instructor you met last Saturday
In formal, and especially written, language, noun phrases are an effective way to add emphasis and focus to a particular situation or event. They are often formed by transforming a verb phrase into a noun phrase.
For example, take a look at this sentence:
Social media has strongly influenced politics, which is concerning.
The focus here is on the topic of social media, not the influence on politics. If you rewrite the sentence and change the verb phrase into a noun phrase, you can emphasize the topic and what you are saying about it.
Social media’s strong influence on politics is concerning.
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