Read All About It!
October 16, 2025
Writers don't have to resort to fake news to influence how readers will interpret what they write. It is not only what they say that is important, but how they say it.
Inevitably, a certain amount of editing is involved. It is impossible to include all the facts and details of even simple stories or issues. There has to be some decision on what to include or exclude. What kind of language is chosen is also influential: is it formal, authoritative, chatty etc.? This might in part be influenced by who the writing is aimed at i.e. whether the writer wishes readers to feel that they belong to the same group, or whether they want to distance themselves from another group. Which words are used is allied to this: are there any slang terms? are they sensational? are they moderate or exaggerated? Watch out for adjectives and adverbs (Were comedies ever advertised as anything less than 'hilarious' or side-splitting'?).
Beyond the selection of material and language is another factor, and that is word order. Sentences in English can have theme, rheme and end focus. Generally, readers perceive the first part of the sentence (nor necessarily the subject) as the theme. It is the most memorable part of the sentence and is perceived to have the greatest importance. The second most memorable is the end focus. The rheme carries all the other information, but it might be the part the writer wants to gloss over. This aspect of English can be scaled up for any piece of writing from lectures to short stories. What is most important comes first, the second most important last, and the least important in the middle.
I'll use a line from the play I'm currently rehearsing for as an example (Good War, Soldier? by Salli Belham and Trevor Smith): "I can read for you, whatever comes in." Splitting the sentence this way places the emphasis on the speaker i.e. what is important is that 'I' can do it. Another way of ordering the sentence would be to 'front' "whatever comes in." This would make the news that comes in and the uncertainty of what it might be most important. The playwrights could have put "For you, I can read whatever comes in", in which case the speaker's relationship with the hearer would be what matters most. This seven-word sentence can have three very different emphases and three very different interpretations merely by changing the word order. If it's spoken, it can be given even more e.g. by stressing 'can' the speaker could highlight her ability to do so, or the possibility that she won't.
This aspect of English could give writers a headache, as it highlights the importance of every single word and punctuation mark (think of the difference a comma can make) and where they put them. My advice is to write instinctively, but to be aware of any unintentional emphasis when reading.
For readers, it can help them to sift fact from opinion, and to detect when the writer is trying to manipulate the facts to produce a particular response. Try comparing the headlines for the same news story in different publications such as the tabloids and the broadsheets.
My word for it, you do not have to take!
Inevitably, a certain amount of editing is involved. It is impossible to include all the facts and details of even simple stories or issues. There has to be some decision on what to include or exclude. What kind of language is chosen is also influential: is it formal, authoritative, chatty etc.? This might in part be influenced by who the writing is aimed at i.e. whether the writer wishes readers to feel that they belong to the same group, or whether they want to distance themselves from another group. Which words are used is allied to this: are there any slang terms? are they sensational? are they moderate or exaggerated? Watch out for adjectives and adverbs (Were comedies ever advertised as anything less than 'hilarious' or side-splitting'?).
Beyond the selection of material and language is another factor, and that is word order. Sentences in English can have theme, rheme and end focus. Generally, readers perceive the first part of the sentence (nor necessarily the subject) as the theme. It is the most memorable part of the sentence and is perceived to have the greatest importance. The second most memorable is the end focus. The rheme carries all the other information, but it might be the part the writer wants to gloss over. This aspect of English can be scaled up for any piece of writing from lectures to short stories. What is most important comes first, the second most important last, and the least important in the middle.
I'll use a line from the play I'm currently rehearsing for as an example (Good War, Soldier? by Salli Belham and Trevor Smith): "I can read for you, whatever comes in." Splitting the sentence this way places the emphasis on the speaker i.e. what is important is that 'I' can do it. Another way of ordering the sentence would be to 'front' "whatever comes in." This would make the news that comes in and the uncertainty of what it might be most important. The playwrights could have put "For you, I can read whatever comes in", in which case the speaker's relationship with the hearer would be what matters most. This seven-word sentence can have three very different emphases and three very different interpretations merely by changing the word order. If it's spoken, it can be given even more e.g. by stressing 'can' the speaker could highlight her ability to do so, or the possibility that she won't.
This aspect of English could give writers a headache, as it highlights the importance of every single word and punctuation mark (think of the difference a comma can make) and where they put them. My advice is to write instinctively, but to be aware of any unintentional emphasis when reading.
For readers, it can help them to sift fact from opinion, and to detect when the writer is trying to manipulate the facts to produce a particular response. Try comparing the headlines for the same news story in different publications such as the tabloids and the broadsheets.
My word for it, you do not have to take!
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Linguistics
