Verbs - The Emphatic Form

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Verbs: The Emphatic Form

The emphatic form is exactly what you would expect from the name; it is used to add emphasis to
statements with action verbs. You can speak English without ever using the emphatic form, but it does
make your communication easier to understand.
How to tell if a verb is in the emphatic form.

Of course, not every sentence with do, does, or did is in the emphatic form. Usually, the sentence is
emphatic if you can remove do, does, or did without changing the meaning of the sentence (you may
need to change the conjugation of the verb). Questions and simple negative statements are not
emphatic.
Emphatic: John does wash his car twice a week.
Not emphatic: Does John wash his car twice a week?
Not emphatic: John does not wash his car twice a week.
Emphatic: Patricia did shut the gate.
Not emphatic: Did Patricia shut the gate?
Not emphatic: Patricia did not shut the gate.
How to make a verb emphatic

It’s quite easy to change a verb to the emphatic form. The emphatic form always uses do, does, or did
to emphasize the action of the verb. There is no emphatic form for being verbs, since do, does, and did
imply action, not being. The verb must sometimes be changed so that it fits with do, does, or did.
Adverbs may come between the form of do and the main verb, as in the fourth example below.
James walks fast. > James does walk fast.
They stepped in the mud. > They did step in the mud.
I study English > I do study English.

The emphatic form is not the only way to add emphasis. When we are speaking, we add emphasis by
voice inflection. We can also add a little emphasis by not using a -n’t contraction where we normally
would. Even though this adds some emphasis, it is not actually an emphatic form.
He didn’t have a wreck. > He did not have a wreck.
When to use the emphatic form

Use the emphatic form like salt. Food tastes good with the right amount of salt, but it becomes inedible
if it has too much salt. Some foods taste bland without any salt, but we do not use salt with every kind
of food. Your speaking and writing will sound awkward with too much of the emphatic form. Not every
conversation needs the emphatic form, but proper use of the emphatic form will make your speaking
and writing sound more natural.
Emphasize only those verbs that need emphasis. If it’s not the main thing you’re trying to say, the
emphatic form will only distract from what you want your readers or listeners to understand.
Do use the emphatic form in a disagreement to emphasize the things you do agree on, even if you do
not agree with everything he wants to imply (see examples 2 and 3). You can also use it to emphasize
contrasting ideas, as in examples 4 and 5.
Examples of good usage:
1. Hey, John, why didn’t you turn the fans on?

What do you mean? I did turn them on.
2. Albert talks so fast that I can hardly understand him!

Well, he does talk fast, but he also emphasizes the wrong words. That’s worse than talking fast.
3. You should go to a chiropractor to get your back straightened out.

I do go to a chiropractor, but he has only made may back worse!
4. Sorry, we’re out of normal hamburgers today, but we do have steak burgers. Would you like to
try one?
5. Edward does have some excellent ideas, but he isn’t an efficient administrator.
Examples of very poor usage:
Hey, Tim, what do you usually have for breakfast?

I do usually have coffee and some bread with cheese.
Has Ivan been to France yet?

He does go to France every year.
A. Are the following sentences in the emphatic form? Circle yes or no.
1. yes no I do not like the thought of eating raw fish.
2. yes no James really does like sushi, though.
3. yes no Do you think he really actually likes it?
4. yes no I don’t know.
5. yes no We really do need to try it ourselves sometime.
B. Change the following sentences to the emphatic form.

1. Bill takes twenty-three pills every evening.
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. They worked hard, but they couldn’t finish in time.
___________________________________________________________________________________
3. We know the answer to the fourth question.
___________________________________________________________________________________
4. Trudy has two years of experience as store manager.
___________________________________________________________________________________
5. I generally ate healthy food.
___________________________________________________________________________________
C. Rate the following examples of emphatic verb usage as good or poor.
1. good poor
You don’t eat anything for breakfast?

Well, I do usually drink some coffee, but that isn’t food.
2. good poor
What did they do all that time they were waiting?

They did walk all over town.
3. good poor
I do like French fries, but not as much as cassava fries.
4. good poor
What did he do wrong?

He did slam the door in my face.
5. good poor
Where did you go?

I did go to an office supply store.
6. good poor
Do you think Justin really will climb Mount Everest?

He did already climb a lot of other mountains.
7. good poor
The customer’s offer did sound good at the time, but it has turned out to be a bad deal for our
company.
8. good poor
I do have a laptop, and my friend has a desktop computer.

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Verbs: The Emphatic Form

How to tell if a verb is in the emphatic form.

Emphatic: John does wash his car twice a week.

Not emphatic: Does John wash his car twice a week?

Emphatic: Patricia did shut the gate.

Not emphatic: Did Patricia shut the gate?

Not emphatic: Patricia did not shut the gate.

How to make a verb emphatic

James walks fast. > James does walk fast.

I study English > I do study English.

He didn’t have a wreck. > He did not have a wreck.

When to use the emphatic form

Examples of good usage:

1. Hey, John, why didn’t you turn the fans on?

2. Albert talks so fast that I can hardly understand him!

3. You should go to a chiropractor to get your back straightened out.

Examples of very poor usage:

Hey, Tim, what do you usually have for breakfast?

Has Ivan been to France yet?

2. yes no James really does like sushi, though.

3. yes no Do you think he really actually likes it?

4. yes no I don’t know.

5. yes no We really do need to try it ourselves sometime.

B. Change the following sentences to the emphatic form.

2. They worked hard, but they couldn’t finish in time.

3. We know the answer to the fourth question.

4. Trudy has two years of experience as store manager.

5. I generally ate healthy food.

You don’t eat anything for breakfast?

What did they do all that time they were waiting?

I do like French fries, but not as much as cassava fries.

What did he do wrong?

Where did you go?

Do you think Justin really will climb Mount Everest?

I do have a laptop, and my friend has a desktop computer.

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