Adding emphasis in written English

Today I’d like to share three ways to add some emotion to your *informal written English.

First, you can extend some words to exaggerate them by repeating letters, such as…

It was a loooong movie. (very long)

I wouldn’t recommend that book. It’s boooorrrring. (very boring)

There is no rule about how many letters to add, but generally more letters = stronger emotion.

Next, you can use all capital letters to add force to a command, such as…

STOP!

SHUT UP!

or to emphasize how extreme something is, such as…

Man, that guy was driving FAST. (very fast)

I saw a HUGE skeleton decoration in front of the restaurant. (very big)

There was a BANG and then the power went out. (very loud)

Finally, adding an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence will intensify the associated emotion, such as…

Don’t do it. (I’m advising you not to do it.)

Don’t do it! (I’m ordering or strongly warning you not to do it.)

See you then. (I will see you at that time.)

See you then! (I’m excited about or looking forward to seeing you.)

*Avoid using these techniques in formal writing, such as on language proficiency tests or in work emails!

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