Focus Construction
Pattern
Marked syntax→highlighted element — attention-directing construction
Definition
Syntactic devices that highlight particular elements for emphasis — cleft sentences, fronting, heavy stress, and other constructions that direct the reader's attention to specific information.
Examples
Example 1
'What we need is action, not words.' — a wh-cleft construction that focuses 'action' by placing it in the prominent post-copular position.
AI Detection Note
AI rarely uses marked focus constructions. It defaults to neutral, unmarked word order, missing opportunities to emphasize key information through syntactic means. The absence of focus variation is itself an AI signal.
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