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emphasis

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɛmfəsəs// UK //ˈɛmfəsˌɪs// em·pha·sis Academic General-service

n. special importance or attention given to something. You use it when you want to show that one part of an idea is more important than the others.

n. special importance, value, or prominence given to something. Often used to describe the stress laid on a particular syllable or word in speech.


SIMPLE

The school puts a lot of emphasis on music and art.

CONTEXTUAL

During the job interview, the manager placed heavy emphasis on the need for strong communication skills.

COMPLEX

While the previous curriculum focused on rote memorization, the new syllabus shifts the emphasis toward critical thinking and independent research projects.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin emphasis, from Ancient Greek ἔμφασις (émphasis, “significance”), from ἐμφαίνω (emphaínō, “to present; to indicate”), from ἐν- (en-, “in”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “to show”).

Usage

Commonly follows the verbs 'place', 'put', or 'lay'. Usually takes the preposition 'on' before the object of importance.

Pitfall

They put emphasis in the quality.They put emphasis on the quality.The noun emphasis almost always takes the preposition 'on' rather than 'in' or 'to'.

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