Level 5 — Advanced · Technical & Evidence-Based Writing
Task 70: Writing for Emphasis
Use 'not only... but also' and a cleft sentence to place the real point exactly where you want it — the focus tools Lesson 70 taught you to read.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this task, you should be able to:
- Build a correctly parallel 'not only... but also' sentence
- Write a cleft sentence ('it is X that...' or 'what X does is...') to spotlight one element
- Place the paragraph's real point somewhere other than its first sentence, on purpose
Introduction
Lesson 70 taught you to look past a sentence's grammar to find what an author actually wants you to notice — through cleft sentences, "not only... but also," and explicit focus markers like "what matters is." This task asks you to build that emphasis yourself, deliberately.
The Rule, for Writing
Core Concept
"Not only X but also Y" needs both sides grammatically parallel (same structure on each side). A cleft sentence — "it is X that..." or "what X does is..." — pulls one element into the spotlight that a plain sentence would leave buried in the middle. Use "what matters is" to name your real point directly.
Example
The new system not only processes orders faster but also reduces manual errors. It is the error reduction, not the speed, that has made the biggest difference to customer satisfaction.
Your Turn
Your Turn
Write a short paragraph about a real or realistic improvement, change, or comparison. Include one correctly parallel "not only... but also" sentence and one cleft sentence ("it is X that..." or "what X does is...") that spotlights the single most important point — placed somewhere other than the paragraph's first sentence.
Vocabulary in Context
paralleladjectivetechnical
matching in grammatical structure on both sides of a comparison (সমান্তরাল)
Often with parallel structure, parallel form, in parallel
“'Faster, cheaper, and safer' keeps the list parallel.”
spotlightverbneutral
to deliberately draw attention to one specific element (আলোকপাত করা)
Often with spotlight the issue, put a spotlight on, spotlight a point
“The report spotlights safety by placing it in the first sentence.”
Model Answer
Show a model answer
The new inspection process not only catches more defects but also completes each check in half the time. It is the speed, more than the accuracy, that has changed how the floor operates day to day — workers no longer wait on inspection results before moving to the next stage. What matters most, for the team, is not the defect count on paper but the fact that production no longer stalls waiting for a result.
Self-Check
Self-Check
- Is your "not only... but also" sentence genuinely parallel on both sides?
- Does your cleft sentence spotlight one specific element, rather than restating the whole claim?
- Did you place your real point somewhere other than the very first sentence, on purpose?
- Did you write directly in English, without composing the paragraph in Bangla first?
Next: Writing 71 — Tracing How an Argument Develops: writing a short passage where a position genuinely builds, shifts, and refines itself across several sentences.