Other information structures Putting something first: fronting

10.92 In English, the first element in a declarative clause is usually the subject of the verb. However, if you want to emphasize another element, you can put that first instead.

Putting a word at the front of a clause for emphasis is called fronting. Sometimes when fronting takes place the normal order of subject and verb is changed. This is called inversion.

adjuncts 10.93 Adjuncts can often be put first. This is the normal position for sentence adjuncts (see paragraph 10.56), so they are not particularly emphatic in this position. Other adjuncts are sometimes placed first, usually for extra vividness in stories and accounts.

At eight o'clock I went down for my breakfast.

For years I'd had to hide what I was thinking.

Inversion often occurs after adjuncts of place and negative adjuncts.

She rang the bell for Sylvia. In came a girl she had not seen before.

On no account must they be let in.

Inversion does not occur when the subject is a pronoun.

With a sigh, he rose and walked away.

For general information on adjuncts, see Chapter 6. Negative adjuncts are dealt with in Chapter 4.

reported questions 10.94 When you are saying that you do not know something, you can put the reported question first.

What I'm going to do next I don't quite know.

How he escaped a fractured skull I can't imagine.

For more information on reported questions, see paragraphs 7.29 to 7.35.

other clause elements 10.95 A complement can occasionally be put first, but this is not common.

Noreen, she was called. She came from the viltage.

Rare indeed is the individual who does not belong to one of these groups.

The object of a verb is sometimes put first, usually in formal or literary uses. Note that the subject still has to be mentioned.

One of the copies he folded into an envelope and sent to the Commissioner.

When they scented my fear, they would attack. This I knew.

Introducing your statement: prefacing structures

10.96 People often use structures which point forward to what they are going to say and classify or label it in some way. These are called prefacing structures or preface.

A preface usually introduces the second part of the same sentence, usually a 'that'-clause or a 'wh'-clause, but occasionally a non-finite clause or a noun group. However, you can use a whole sentence as the preface to another sentence (see paragraph 10.101).

prefaces to second part of sentence 10.97 A common prefacing structure is 'the' and a noun, followed by 'is'. The noun is sometimes modified or qualified. The nouns most commonly used in this structure are:

answer conclusion fact

point problem question

rule solution thing

tragedy trouble truth

wonder

'The fact is', 'the point is', and 'the thing is' are used to indicate that what you are about to say is important.

The simple fact is that if you get ill, you may be unable to take the examination.

The point is to find out who was responsible.

The thing is, how are we to get her out?

10.98 Some of these nouns are used in prefaces to indicate what sort of thing you are about to say.

The rule is: if in doubt, dry clean.

Is medicine an art or a science? The answer is that it is both.

The inevitable conclusion is that man is not responsible for what he does.

10.99 Some of these nouns are used in prefaces to label what you are about to talk about.

The problem is that the demand for health care is unlimited.

The only solution is to approach each culture with an open mind.

The answer is planning, timing, and, above all, practical experience.

10.100 Cleft structures (see paragraphs 10.25 to 10.30) can be used in labelling.

What we need is law and order.

Impersonal 'it' structures with adjectives followed by a 'that'-clause are a less emphatic way of prefacing (see paragraph 10.42).

It is interesting that the impact of the computer revolution will be greatest in those areas.

You can use the sentence adjuncts 'at any rate', 'at least', and 'rather' as prefaces when you are slightly correcting a previous statement, often after 'or'.

This had saved her life; or at any rate her sanity.

'Anyway' can also be used, usually after the correction.

It is, for most of its length anyway, a painful romantic comedy.

10.101 A whole sentence can be used as a preface to the sentence or sentences that follow it. For example, a sentence containing an adjective like 'interesting', 'remarkable', or 'funny', or a general abstract word such as 'reason' of 'factor' (see paragraphs 9.19 to 9.23), is often used as a preface.

It was rather funny. There were two gentlemen that were standing-one was terribly elegant—and we were sitting there, a couple of interlopers.

This has had very interesting effects on different people.

Here were other factors, of course: I too was tired of London.

But there were problems. How could the eggs be prevented from drying out and how could tadpoles develop out of water?