Emphatic Tenses

Question

I would just want to ask, how do we use the emphatic tenses? I encountered an on-the-spot quiz on tenses, and I wasn't sure how the emphatic tenses are used.

Two items there are composed this way:

A. I did talk to my teacher yesterday.

B. I do talk to him everyday.

Is it correct if I say that the tense of the verb in A is past emphatic, and in B, present emphatic?

Thanks!

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

I wouldn't call it a tense-- it is merely a verb form. Use it for emphasis (of course), particularly when contradicting:

T: You didn't do your homework again.

S: I did do my homework...but I my dog ate it!

Angelica_04 · Answer

thanks, Mister Micawber.

Is it ok to use it when we are writing essays? Like when we want to emphasize some points?

i.e. We do have to prevent global warming. or The man did write a letter addressed to the president.

Thanks!

Lil&apos; Ruby Rose · Answer

You'd probably only use this in an essay if you're making a statement which is the opposite of an earlier position. For example:

Some people believe in the Gaia principle: that the earth is a self-healing entity, and needs no intervention from us to correct climate change. Nowadays most people disagree, and feel we do have to prevent global warming if the earth is to survive.

Angelica_04 · Answer

ok, now I get it. thanks Lil' Ruby Rose!

Yoong Liat · Answer

Hi Lil' Ruby Rose

How should I address you? Is 'Rose' fine?

Neeraj Jain · Answer

Hi Mister Micawber,

Could you please explain the meaning of emphatic tense?

Lil&apos; Ruby Rose · Answer

Yoong LiatHi Lil' Ruby Rose

How should I address you? Is 'Rose' fine?

Hi Yoong,

Whatever you please!

I'm quite attached to my screen name, which has evolved over many years on different sites, partly because of its ambiguity. Originally I used the names of my three dogs: Lil, Ruby and Rose. Almost immediately, people assumed that Lil was short for Little, and began punctuating it like the comic stripLil' Abner. And once it became Little Ruby Rose, it was a matter of conjecture as to whether Ruby is an adjective to describe the Rose, or Ruby Rose as a single name. I'm perfectly happy with any combination. For simplicity, I usually use LRR - but my real name is Amy (although I don't use that here as it's also Yankee's name!).

LRR [F]

Yoong Liat · Answer

Lil' Ruby Rose
Yoong LiatHi Lil' Ruby Rose

How should I address you? Is 'Rose' fine?
Hi Yoong,

Whatever you please! I'm quite attached to my screen name, which has evolved over many years on different sites, partly because of its ambiguity. Originally I used the names of my three dogs: Lil, Ruby and Rose. Almost immediately, people assumed that Lil was short for Little, and began punctuating it like the comic stripLil' Abner. And once it became Little Ruby Rose, it was a matter of conjecture as to whether Ruby is an adjective to describe the Rose, or Ruby Rose as a single name. I'm perfectly happy with any combination. For simplicity, I usually use LRR - but my real name is Amy (although I don't use that here as it's also Yankee's name!).

LRR [F]

Whatever you please! Like me, you're not particular about how you are addressed. Members call me Yoong Liat, Liat, YL, Koh, and Young (mispelling of 'Yoong').

Thanks for letting me know how you came up with Lil' Ruby Rose.

Mister Micawber · Answer

If I could hijack back this thread for a moment, please....

Could you please explain the meaning of emphatic tense?

As I said before, it is not really a tense; they are merely emphatic sentences-- emphatic 'do' is just one use of the operator verb 'do'. I find that this emphatic-do is called a 'dummy operator' (Leech & Svartvik, A Communicative Grammar of English)

Anonymous · Answer

Angelica_04I would just want to ask, how do we use the emphatic tenses? I encountered an on-the-spot quiz on tenses, and I wasn't sure how the emphatic tenses are used. Two items there are composed this way:A. I did talk to my teacher yesterday.B. I do talk to him everyday. Is it correct if I say that the tense of the verb in A is past emphatic, and in B, present emphatic? Thanks!

Yes, you are correct!

Emphatic Tenses

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