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The idea of importance can be linked with nouns by means of adjectives, other nouns, verbs or adverbs
IMPORTANCE IN PROFESSIONAL WRITING
Saying that something is important is as common in professional writing as it is in everyday English. We might say, for example, that a piece of evidence is important in an investigation, a published paper has importance in an academic field, an event is important in history, an ingredient has importance in a recipe, or a matter is important to consider.
However, defining importance is not so easy, as there are numerous other concepts that are either part of its meaning or very similar to it. This is clear from the variety of adjectives that may or may not be synonyms, such as significant, relevant, big, special, especial, essential, major, necessary and consequential. There is, however, a value in seeking a clear definition of importance since it enables different ways of expressing the same idea to be identified and compared.
It is this ultimate goal that the present post has. The definition of importance is first considered, and some of the ways to express the concept follow. The post after this (199. Importance and Unimportance) continues the investigation and also examines the negative equivalent of importance.
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DEFINITION OF IMPORTANCE
Basically, I would suggest that “importance” is the meaning that exists whenever the words important or importance are used or could be used in an exact paraphrase. Hence, the definition of importance is whatever these words mean. Of the above-mentioned importance adjectives, the one that my dictionary particularly singles out is consequential. This means something like “has a substantial consequence”, a meaning that does seem to be present wherever important is used. A problem, however, is that there are some situations involving this meaning where important would not be appropriate. For example, a delay and an illness are more likely to accompany major or significant than important.
In such cases, the apparent obstacle to expressing the meaning of “consequential” with important is a suggestion of harm. It appears that important is typically used only with ideas whose consequence is not harmful, or even beneficial. In other words, important seems to have a positive “connotation” (see 16. Ways of Distinguishing Similar Words, #2). Supporting this is the fact that words like delays and illness can actually be used with important, but only to suggest that the consequence in mind was not the expected bad one.
However, to say that the meaning of important combines the two ideas of “consequential” and “not harmful” is probably still not enough. There seem to be other ideas – different with different nouns – on top of these. An important ingredient, for example, is also likely to be a necessary or fundamental one – the recipe will fail without it. An important idea is valuable, notable or relevant. An important person (VIP) will be high-ranking or privileged – indeed, the idea of rank here often seems to overtake the “substantial consequence” one. We might conclude, then, that important expresses two basic concepts, but implies one or other of various extra possibilities.
One sub-meaning that important does not imply, however, is “large-sized”. As a student myself of French and Spanish, I know that these languages (and others like them) seem to use a word of similar spelling and meaning to important in some places where English would prefer a size word like great, large, major or noticeable (see the end of 108. Formal and Informal Words). In English, if we say a million is an important number, we mean that it has some notable effect – not that it represents a very large quantity. Similarly, an important mountain is not so much a high one as one with special significance for someone or something.
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SHOWING IMPORTANCE OF NOUN MEANINGS
Nouns and statements seem to be the two main kinds of expression whose meanings are likely to be linked with the idea of importance. To link noun meanings, the following are possible.
1. Adjectives
Adjectives are the most obvious means of linking a noun meaning with the idea of importance. As indicated above, important and consequential can be used with most of the sub-meanings, but there is less flexibility with such synonyms as necessary, fundamental, notable, valuable, relevant, high-ranking and privileged. The meaning of notable is also possessed by significant and informal big (e.g. a big idea). Big can additionally mean high-ranking (e.g. the big man). However, these uses do not establish the equivalence of size and importance: the use is metaphorical, with no reference to actual size.
Various other synonyms of important are sometimes found in the introduction to a list. Consider the following example from 96. Making Statements More Uncertain 2:
(a) Important European language types are Romance, Slavic and Germanic.
As with most list introductions, this involves a general term for the list (European language types – see 54. Sentence Lists 1: Incidental). Important before it suggests that the mentioned list members are not all of the possibilities but are about to be mentioned because they are somehow more consequential. In other words, the mentioned list members are not random examples (see 1. Simple Example-Giving). Other adjectives that can be used in this situation – though not always in (a) – include chief, especial, leading, main, major, notable, particular, principal and special. Most are what I have elsewhere called “priority” adjectives (see 184. Adjectives with Limited Mobility, #3).
Importance adjectives can often be followed by for to show who or what is affected by the importance. Moreover, like many other adjectives they can be made weaker or stronger through the addition of “degree” adverbs, especially slightly, quite and very (see 194. Adverbs that Say How Much). Where very is possible, preference is often given to the more specific adverbs extremely or highly. Important also allows the very specific vitally.
Some other adjectives mean “very important” by themselves, e.g. central, critical, crucial, essential, fundamental, key and vital (= necessary for life). The strength of these words means none can be used with very or its synonyms (see 16. Ways of Distinguishing Similar Words, #3).
Some importance adjectives – important, significant, necessary, relevant – are often used after how in direct and indirect questions. In such situations they do not necessarily imply the existence of any importance at all: the question How important is X? means “How much importance does X have?”, leaving open the possibility that X is completely unimportant (see 94. Essay Question Words).
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2. Nouns
The nouns importance and significance are able to attribute importance to a preceding noun idea by acting as the object of an intervening verb like CARRY, HAVE or POSSESS (…carries importance), or within an of phrase before or after BE (…is of importance). Consequence is also usable in this latter way. The meaning of very can be added by means of an adjective like considerable, great, vital or (the) utmost.
Importance and significance can also attribute importance to a following noun idea by means of expressions like attach importance to. There is again a small set of possible verbs, and the preposition will tend to be to, though some verbs require an alternative. Common verbs are ATTACH…to, ATTRIBUTE…to, GIVE…to and SEE…in (see 123. Prepositional Verbs Containing a Noun).
Like the corresponding adjectives, these nouns can also mean “amount” rather than “existence” of importance, especially when followed by of:
(b) Section 3 considers the importance of incentives.
This means incentives may or may not be important.
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3. Verbs
A single verb that means the same as other verbs combined with important or importance is MATTER, as in this example:
(c) Grammar study matters (greatly) because it can facilitate writing.
It is the subject of MATTER that is marked as important. There is no following noun – MATTER is “intransitive” (see 113. Verbs that cannot be Passive). An alternative to MATTER is MAKE A (GREAT) DIFFERENCE – a very clear indicator of the consequential aspect of the concept of importance.
A verb that can attach the idea of importance to a noun after it is NOTE. To do so, it normally needs the base “imperative” form: Note X (see 128. Imperative Verbs in Formal Writing, #3). It is also usable in the passive voice (along with should) to show the importance of a preceding noun, like MATTER (X should be noted). Synonyms of NOTE (NOTICE, OBSERVE) are similarly usable.
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4. Adverbs
A noun idea can be singled out as the most important of a group by being placed after a “particularizing” adverb like above all, especially, notably or particularly (see 54. Sentence lists 1), like this:
(d) Some energy sources, particularly solar cells, pollute less than others.
The message here is that solar cells are more important for minimizing pollution than other energy sources.
If we wish to single out solar cells in a new sentence, so as to give further details about them, we can start with in particular (In particular, solar cells…). It is also possible to begin such a new sentence with a superlative adjective (The most important…is…). For details, see 122. Signpost Words in Multi-Sentence Lists.
The other main way of showing importance is by attributing it to statements. This, along with ways of showing unimportance, is considered in the next post.
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