1 PG 4
Handout 3
Emphatic structures:
Fronting and inversion
1. Fronting
“Powerful you have become, Dooku; the dark side I sense in you.” (Yoda)
What is fronted in the sentences below?
• “That nice gentleman is Ernest Hemingway,” she whispered.
Ernest Hemingway he was. Nice he was not. it is not usual for objects and complements
• Friendly she may be, but reliable she isn’t. to come before the subject as they do here
• That I disagree with. and when they do they acquire extra prominence
,
• These symptoms he recognized immediately.
• We met the Greens. Mrs Green we liked, but her husband we really didn’t care for.
• She said she would open that sealed jam jar. And open she did.
Functions of fronting
- to organize the flow of information in a text to maintain cohesion to help the flow of information
- to express contrast The house was large and sprawling , with two wings and a dark attic .
- to give emphasis to particular elements Hillary spent most of her time in the drawing room on the garden .
B
- to make non-subject elements the theme of a sentence The attic she rarely visited Friendly she may be
ÉÉ out reliable she isn't
,
.
she rarely visited the attic
EE
.
she may be friendly
.
A: Are those cupcakes for sale? B: No, they’re a special order. But the bagels you can have. but she isn't reliable
,
A: Where can I buy a pen like that? B: At the bookstore. Six dollars it costs.
.
Buying a pen evokes the concept of a price and six dollars ,
Exercise 1 then denotes one of the sets of potential prices .
Apply fronting to the sentences below. The parts to be emphasised are underlined.
1. The tension mounted slowly.
Slowly the tension mounted
____________________________________________________________________________
.
2. It is not objective.
Objective it is not
____________________________________________________________________________
.
3. They said I was immature and over-enthusiastic.
They said that immature and over enthusiastic I was
______________________________________________________________________________
-
.
4. They were always grumbling.
______________________________________________________________________________
Always grumbling they were .
5. I can do without that sort of remark.
______________________________________________________________________________
That sort of remark I can do without .
6. Nobody is arguing about the need for a libel law.
About the need for a libel law nobody is arguing
______________________________________________________________________________ .
7. The general was expecting the rebels to attack and they did attack.
The general was expecting the rebels to attack and attack they did
______________________________________________________________________________ .
8. I perceive this plainly.
This I perceive plainly
______________________________________________________________________________
.
9. I don’t know why I didn’t die.
Why I didn't die I don't know
______________________________________________________________________________
.
10. But they changed, and quite radically.
______________________________________________________________________________
But change they did and quite radically
, .
11. They no longer trouble to claim legitimacy. They have shrugged off reason. (J.M. Coetzee)
Legitimacy they no longer trouble to claim Reason they have shrugged off
______________________________________________________________________________
.
.
1.1 Fronting with as, though and however
Examples:
Though the city is charming, it does have its disadvantages. → Charming though the city is, it does have its disadvantages.
→ Charming as the city is, it does have its disadvantages.
→ However charming the city is, it does have its disadvantages.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not find the place on the map.
Handout 3
Emphatic structures:
Fronting and inversion
1. Fronting
“Powerful you have become, Dooku; the dark side I sense in you.” (Yoda)
What is fronted in the sentences below?
• “That nice gentleman is Ernest Hemingway,” she whispered.
Ernest Hemingway he was. Nice he was not. it is not usual for objects and complements
• Friendly she may be, but reliable she isn’t. to come before the subject as they do here
• That I disagree with. and when they do they acquire extra prominence
,
• These symptoms he recognized immediately.
• We met the Greens. Mrs Green we liked, but her husband we really didn’t care for.
• She said she would open that sealed jam jar. And open she did.
Functions of fronting
- to organize the flow of information in a text to maintain cohesion to help the flow of information
- to express contrast The house was large and sprawling , with two wings and a dark attic .
- to give emphasis to particular elements Hillary spent most of her time in the drawing room on the garden .
B
- to make non-subject elements the theme of a sentence The attic she rarely visited Friendly she may be
ÉÉ out reliable she isn't
,
.
she rarely visited the attic
EE
.
she may be friendly
.
A: Are those cupcakes for sale? B: No, they’re a special order. But the bagels you can have. but she isn't reliable
,
A: Where can I buy a pen like that? B: At the bookstore. Six dollars it costs.
.
Buying a pen evokes the concept of a price and six dollars ,
Exercise 1 then denotes one of the sets of potential prices .
Apply fronting to the sentences below. The parts to be emphasised are underlined.
1. The tension mounted slowly.
Slowly the tension mounted
____________________________________________________________________________
.
2. It is not objective.
Objective it is not
____________________________________________________________________________
.
3. They said I was immature and over-enthusiastic.
They said that immature and over enthusiastic I was
______________________________________________________________________________
-
.
4. They were always grumbling.
______________________________________________________________________________
Always grumbling they were .
5. I can do without that sort of remark.
______________________________________________________________________________
That sort of remark I can do without .
6. Nobody is arguing about the need for a libel law.
About the need for a libel law nobody is arguing
______________________________________________________________________________ .
7. The general was expecting the rebels to attack and they did attack.
The general was expecting the rebels to attack and attack they did
______________________________________________________________________________ .
8. I perceive this plainly.
This I perceive plainly
______________________________________________________________________________
.
9. I don’t know why I didn’t die.
Why I didn't die I don't know
______________________________________________________________________________
.
10. But they changed, and quite radically.
______________________________________________________________________________
But change they did and quite radically
, .
11. They no longer trouble to claim legitimacy. They have shrugged off reason. (J.M. Coetzee)
Legitimacy they no longer trouble to claim Reason they have shrugged off
______________________________________________________________________________
.
.
1.1 Fronting with as, though and however
Examples:
Though the city is charming, it does have its disadvantages. → Charming though the city is, it does have its disadvantages.
→ Charming as the city is, it does have its disadvantages.
→ However charming the city is, it does have its disadvantages.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not find the place on the map.
