Meaning & use
emotional content
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Meanings
noununcountable
The feelings, moods, or emotional meaning that a work, message, or performance carries.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable phrase; say 'the emotional content of the film', not 'emotional contents'.
Patterns
- the emotional content of something
- emotional content in something
- carry emotional content
Critics praised the emotional content of the novel more than its plot.
The song's emotional content comes mostly from the singer's quiet delivery.
Teachers discussed the emotional content of the images shown to young children.
noununcountable
The part of a piece of writing, speech, or art that expresses or arouses feelings rather than facts.
Grammar: Often contrasted with factual or informational content; no plural form.
Patterns
- emotional content rather than facts
- add emotional content to something
Her report was full of figures but had little emotional content.
He added personal stories to give the speech more emotional content.
Common combinations
- the emotional content of a film
- The emotional content of the film surprised many viewers.
- rich emotional content
- The letters have rich emotional content that history books lack.
- convey emotional content
- Music can convey emotional content without any words.
- emotional content and meaning
- Students analyzed both the emotional content and meaning of the poem.
Synonyms and how they differ
- emotional charge
- Suggests a strong, often sudden feeling attached to something, while 'emotional content' is a neutral description of what feelings are present.
- sentiment
- Refers to a feeling or opinion itself, not to the feelings carried by a work or message.
Word family
- emotion noun
- A strong feeling such as love, anger, or fear.
- emotional adjective
- Relating to feelings or showing strong feeling.
- emotionally adverb
- In a way that relates to or shows feelings.
Commonly confused: emotional content or emotive?
emotional content vs emotive
'Emotive' describes a word or topic that causes strong feelings (an emotive issue); 'emotional content' is the feelings a work contains.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'emotional content' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Emotional content' is an uncountable noun phrase meaning the feelings a work carries, so it fits 'The film's emotional content moved many viewers'. Option 3 wrongly makes it countable, and options 2 and 4 use it as a verb or adjective, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “emotional content”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.