The aim of the following work is mainly to present focus strategies in English sentences. The topic has been of great interest to me since such focus constructions are an important grammatical means of re-arranging the information within a sentence according to one’s intention. Being familiar with a wide variety of focus strategies is one possibility of improving one’s style, both in written and spoken English.
Several university level grammar books provide a great number of different means to assign focus within a sentence. In the following course of this paper I’m first going to explain and discuss the term focus as well as its function in English grammar and then show the possible ways of organizing a message. Due to the above mentioned variety of focus strategies not all of them can be itemized here. I decided on presenting those focus constructions which, in my opinion, seem most relevant for the purposes of a foreign language student. The prescribed extent of this work makes a detailed description of each construction, as it can be found in scholarly grammar book, impossible. Therefore, only the most important attributes and particularities of each strategy are named. In most cases examples are added for visualization and a better understanding. In their publications linguists present different ways of classifying focus strategies which makes a clear division of the constructions relatively difficult. Furthermore different notions of which grammatical structure can be considered a focus strategy are existing. Under the respective headline these problems will be discussed in greater detail.
Dealing with these focus strategies and the purpose they serve raised the question if these constructions can be found in school-books for German learner’s of English as well. As a future English teacher I’m especially interested in that and therefore decided to examine several books available. The results of this examination, reasons for a necessary integration of focus strategies into a classroom context and suitable literature are mentioned in the final part of this work. Since focus strategies aren’t (yet) generally represented in school books this part is rather short in comparison to the one dealing with the focus constructions itself.
Table of Contents
- 1. INTRODUCTION
- 2. THE TERM FOCUS AND ITS FUNCTION IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR
- 3. POSSIBLE CONSTRUCTIONS TO ASSIGN FOCUS IN ENGLISH SENTENCES
- 3.1 FRONTING
- 3.1.1 Emphatic Topic, Contrastive Topic, 'Given' or Semi-Given Topic
- 3.1.1.1 Emphatic Topic
- 3.1.1.2 Contrastive Topic
- 3.1.1.3 'Given' / Semi-Given Topic
- 3.1.2 Inversion
- 3.1.2.1 Subject-verb Inversion
- 3.1.2.2 Subject-operator Inversion
- 3.1.1 Emphatic Topic, Contrastive Topic, 'Given' or Semi-Given Topic
- 3.2 OTHER CONSTRUCTIONS TO ASSIGN Focus
- 3.2.1 Cleft Sentences (wh-type and it-type)
- 3.2.2 Postponement
- 3.2.3 The Passive
- 3.3 ADDITIONAL FOCUS CONSTRUCTIONS
- 3.1 FRONTING
- 4. THE REPRESENTATION OF FOCUS STRATEGIES IN SCHOOL-BOOKS FOR GERMAN LEARNERS OF ENGLISH
- 4.1 THE GENERAL LACK OF FOCUS STRATEGIES IN SCHOOL-BOOKS
- 4.2 BOOKS SUITABLE FOR INTRODUCING FOCUS STRATEGIES TO STUDENTS
- 5. CONCLUSION
- 6. WORKS CITED
- INTERNET
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper aims to present focus strategies in English sentences and their application in teaching materials for German learners. The author explores the function of focus in English grammar, detailing various constructions used to emphasize specific parts of a sentence for communicative purposes. The study also investigates the representation (or lack thereof) of these strategies in school textbooks for German learners and suggests suitable resources for integrating them into classroom instruction.
- The function of focus in English grammar
- Various constructions used to assign focus in English sentences
- The role of given and new information in sentence structure
- Analysis of focus strategies in English language textbooks for German learners
- Suggestions for improving the representation of focus strategies in teaching materials
Chapter Summaries
1. INTRODUCTION: This introductory chapter sets the stage for the paper by outlining its main objective: to explain focus strategies in English sentences and their importance for improving written and spoken English. The author acknowledges the vast range of focus constructions but limits the scope to those most relevant for foreign language learners, explaining the reasons for this selection. The chapter also briefly touches on the challenges of classifying these strategies due to variations in linguistic perspectives and the limitations of providing a detailed description of each construction within the constraints of the paper.
2. THE TERM FOCUS AND ITS FUNCTION IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR: This chapter delves into the concept of focus in English grammar, defining it as the communicative highlighting of sentence parts to maximize impact. The author discusses how this reordering of sentence structure depends on the speaker's or writer's perspective and explores the distinction between new and given information (also referred to as theme/rheme or topic/focus by different linguists). The chapter examines the principles of end-focus and end-weight and how they contribute to the overall effectiveness and balance of a sentence, while noting that these are guidelines rather than rigid rules. It concludes by providing a broad categorization of focus strategies, acknowledging the inconsistencies in classifications across various linguistic works.
3. POSSIBLE CONSTRUCTIONS TO ASSIGN FOCUS IN ENGLISH SENTENCES: This chapter presents a detailed analysis of various grammatical constructions used to highlight information in English sentences. It categorizes these constructions (with acknowledgement that this categorization is not universally agreed upon) and explores different types of fronting (including emphatic, contrastive, and given/semi-given topics, as well as subject-verb and subject-operator inversions), cleft sentences, postponement, and the passive voice, examining the function and effect of each construction within the broader context of communicative emphasis. Although subsections are mentioned in the table of contents, the summary focuses on the chapter as a whole rather than these subsections.
4. THE REPRESENTATION OF FOCUS STRATEGIES IN SCHOOL-BOOKS FOR GERMAN LEARNERS OF ENGLISH: This chapter assesses the presence and adequacy of focus strategies in English language textbooks designed for German learners. It highlights a general lack of explicit coverage of these crucial grammatical constructions. The chapter analyzes the reasons why including these strategies is beneficial to students learning English as a foreign language. It then proposes alternative or supplementary books that offer more comprehensive treatment of focus strategies, thereby providing actionable recommendations for instructors.
Keywords
Focus strategies, English grammar, sentence structure, communicative emphasis, given and new information, end-focus, end-weight, fronting, inversion, cleft sentences, postponement, passive voice, English language teaching, German learners, textbooks.
Frequently Asked Questions: A Comprehensive Guide to Focus Strategies in English
What is the main focus of this paper?
This paper examines focus strategies in English sentences and their application in teaching materials for German learners. It explores the function of focus in English grammar, detailing various constructions used to emphasize specific sentence parts for effective communication. The study also analyzes how (or if) these strategies are presented in school textbooks for German learners and suggests better resources for classroom instruction.
What are the key themes explored in the paper?
The key themes include the function of focus in English grammar, various constructions used to assign focus (like fronting, inversion, cleft sentences, and the passive voice), the role of given and new information, analysis of focus strategies in English textbooks for German learners, and suggestions for improving the representation of these strategies in teaching materials.
What types of focus constructions are discussed?
The paper details several focus constructions, including: fronting (with its subtypes: emphatic, contrastive, and given/semi-given topics), inversion (subject-verb and subject-operator), cleft sentences (wh-type and it-type), postponement, and the passive voice. Each construction's function and effect on communicative emphasis are examined.
How are focus strategies represented (or not represented) in school textbooks for German learners?
The paper reveals a general lack of explicit coverage of focus strategies in many English language textbooks designed for German learners. It explores reasons for this deficiency and suggests alternative textbooks that offer more comprehensive treatments of these important grammatical constructions.
What is the significance of "given" and "new" information in sentence structure?
The paper highlights the importance of understanding the distinction between given (already known) and new (newly introduced) information in sentence structure. This distinction significantly influences how focus is assigned and how effectively a sentence communicates its intended meaning.
What are the objectives of the study?
The primary objective is to present focus strategies in English and their importance for improving the written and spoken English of German learners. The study aims to provide a clearer understanding of these strategies and offer practical suggestions for their integration into language teaching.
What are some of the challenges in classifying focus strategies?
The paper acknowledges that classifying focus strategies can be challenging due to variations in linguistic perspectives and the complexities inherent in the nuances of these grammatical constructions.
What is the overall conclusion of the paper?
The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for a more explicit and comprehensive treatment of focus strategies in English language textbooks for German learners to improve their communicative competence.
What are the key words associated with this paper?
Keywords include: Focus strategies, English grammar, sentence structure, communicative emphasis, given and new information, end-focus, end-weight, fronting, inversion, cleft sentences, postponement, passive voice, English language teaching, German learners, textbooks.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anja Dinter (Autor:in), 2002, Focus strategies in english sentences and their representation in books for school age german learners of english , München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/75115
