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
3.2 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
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
Objectives and Core Themes
This academic paper aims to define and present various focus strategies in English sentences, examining how they function as grammatical tools to rearrange information for communicative purposes. Furthermore, the research investigates whether these essential constructions are adequately represented in English textbooks for German students, ultimately advocating for their inclusion in classroom curricula to improve learners' stylistic expression.
- The linguistic definition and function of focus within English grammar.
- Core grammatical construction techniques including fronting, inversion, clefting, and passive voice.
- The principles of "end-focus" and "end-weight" as structural guidelines.
- A critical analysis of current school textbook representations of these strategies.
- Practical recommendations for suitable teaching materials to enhance student communication skills.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1.1.1 Emphatic Topic
Mainly in (informal) conversation it is relatively common to front one element, especially a complement, and to give it nuclear stress, which gives the sentence double emphasis. The item that is placed in initial position may be the one contextually most demanded. In this specific structure the most important thought in the speaker’s head appears to be placed in initial position and the rest is added.
• │ Jòe │ his náme is. │ [1]
• │ An utter fòol I felt │ tòo. │ [2] (topic = complement)
• │Relaxàtion you call it. │ [3]
• │ Excellent fòod they serve hére.│ [4] (topic = object)
The ordering in [1] and [2] has changed from the normal SVC to CSV, in [3] from SVOC to CSVO and in [4] from SVO to OSVA.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: The author outlines the scope of the paper, focusing on the importance of focus constructions for improving written and spoken English and states the research goal regarding their presence in school textbooks.
2. THE TERM FOCUS AND ITS FUNCTION IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR: This chapter defines the communicative purpose of focus, explaining the distinction between given and new information and the grammatical principles of end-focus and end-weight.
3. POSSIBLE CONSTRUCTIONS TO ASSIGN FOCUS IN ENGLISH SENTENCES: This section provides a detailed analysis of various syntactic techniques for assigning focus, including fronting, inversion, cleft sentences, and passive voice.
4. THE REPRESENTATION OF FOCUS STRATEGIES IN SCHOOL-BOOKS FOR GERMAN LEARNERS OF ENGLISH: The author analyzes selected textbooks, demonstrating a general lack of focus instruction and recommending supplementary materials that introduce these structures more effectively.
5. CONCLUSION: The final chapter summarizes that while focus constructions are vital for effective communication, they are largely absent from standard curricula and suggests that simpler strategies should be integrated into English lessons.
Keywords
Focus strategies, English grammar, fronting, inversion, cleft sentences, passive voice, end-focus, end-weight, communicative purpose, school-books, German learners, linguistic construction, sentence structure, syntax, pedagogy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The paper explores various grammatical strategies used to highlight specific parts of English sentences, known as "focus strategies," and evaluates their pedagogical value.
What are the central themes discussed?
The core themes include syntactic manipulation for emphasis, the communicative role of information structure, and the gap between academic grammar and classroom teaching materials.
What is the main research question?
The author investigates how different linguistic constructions can assign focus and, crucially, whether these strategies are sufficiently explained and taught in textbooks used by German learners of English.
Which scientific methodology does the author employ?
The methodology consists of a theoretical review of scholarly university-level grammar books to identify focus constructions, followed by an empirical analysis of various English-language school textbooks.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body provides detailed definitions and examples of fronting, inversion (subject-verb and subject-operator), cleft sentences, postponement, and the use of the passive voice as a means of focusing information.
What are the characterizing keywords?
The research is defined by terms such as focus strategies, end-focus, end-weight, syntax, sentence structure, and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) pedagogy.
Why does the author distinguish between "subject-verb" and "subject-operator" inversion?
The distinction is necessary because each serves different communicative purposes and operates under different syntactic rules, which the author argues should be clearly delineated for students to avoid errors.
How does the author view the passive voice in a school context?
The author notes that while the passive is the most commonly taught focus strategy in schools, it is often taught mechanically without explaining its function or purpose in achieving end-focus.
Which specific resources are recommended for teachers?
The author recommends David Crystal's "Rediscover Grammar with David Crystal" and Sylvia Chalker's "A Student’s English Grammar Workbook" as accessible resources for teaching these concepts to students.
- Citation du texte
- Anja Dinter (Auteur), 2002, Focus strategies in english sentences and their representation in books for school age german learners of english , Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/75115
