GUIDE ENGLISH GRAMMAR BOOK

6 INFORMATION AND EMPHASIS PAGE 56
NOTE
Putting an adverbial in front position can also help to get the important information in the
right place.
For a week after this, life was like a restless dream.
Like a restless dream is the point of interest. Its best position is at the end of the sentence.
If the adverbial is at the end, the important information is less prominent.
b
c
These kinds of adverbial often come in front position.
Time: On the day after that she was in the canteen at the usual time.
Linking: The path was stony. Despite that we made good progress.
Truth: Presumably she had been changed on to a later shift.
Comment: The car was a complete wreck. Incredibly, no one was hurt.
And these kinds of adverbial can be in front position for contrast or emphasis.
Place: It was warm and comfortable in the little cottage. Outside, it was
getting dark.
Manner: Slowly the sun sank into the Pacific.
Frequency: Everyone shops at the big supermarket now. Quite often the little
shop is empty for half an hour at a time.
2 An object or complement in front position
a
b
We can sometimes put an object in front position, especially when it makes a link
or a contrast with what has gone before.
Dogs I love, but cats I can't stand.
Jason deals with the post every morning. The routine letters he answers
himself. The rest he passes on to the boss.
There is no inversion. NOT Dogs love I.
We can also sometimes put a complement in front position.
They enjoyed the holiday. Best of all was the constant sunshine.
The scheme has many good points. An advantage is the low cost.
Here the subject (the low cost) is the important information and comes at the end.
3 Inversion after an adverbial
a
In this sentence the pattern is subject + verb + adverbial of place.
A furniture van was outside the house.
When the adverbial of place is in front position, there is inversion of the subject
and the ordinary verb be.
Alan walked along Elmdale Avenue and found number sixteen without
difficulty. Outside the house was a furniture van.
The adverbial (outside the house) is in front position to link with what has gone
before. The new information (a furniture van) comes at the end of the sentence.
We can do the same with other verbs of place and movement, e.g. come, go, lie, sit,
stand.
The room contained a table and four chairs. On the table lay a newspaper.
The palace is heavily guarded. Because inside its walls sit the European leaders.
With such verbs, a pattern without inversion is possible but less usual.
On the table a newspaper lay.