1

Every word I say is true; this I promise you.

I think the pronoun 'this' is the direct object of the verb 'promise' and 'this' should be be placed after 'you', but it is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Because this sentence is on a web page about English grammar at http://grammar.yourdictionary.com , I believe this is not grammatically wrong. Is this an exception? Then, how can it?

Improve this question
1
  • 2
    English is liberal in its word order which, as in the case you cite, offers alternative emphases and nuances to expressions. That much, I promise you.
    – WS2
    Commented Feb 18, 2015 at 12:08

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
0

It is done for emphasis, and linguists call it 'fronting'

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .