Questions tagged [fronting]
The fronting tag has no usage guidance.
16
questions
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vote
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Double fronted adverbials with the same meaning
For me, double fronted adverbials make sense and sound fine when they have different meanings or tones, for example:
Slowly, without enthusiasm, he picked up the board and...
But in some texts I've ...
- 13
2
votes
1
answer
178
views
Reference Request on Preposition Fronting
Currently reading "A Student's Introduction to English Grammar" by Geoffrey K. Pullum and Rodney Huddleston.
Consider the following contrast between the phrasal verbs ask for and come across....
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1
answer
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Why can't I quite put the sentence like this? [closed]
Once there was a boy named Santiago who helped an old man at sea.
Once was there a boy named Santiago who helped an old man at sea.
I know the second sentence sounds iffy and, perhaps even ...
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Is saying “X it is” too informal a response for a casual workplace environment? [closed]
When choosing between options, people often say X it is. For
example:
Dick: What do you want to eat?
Jane: I want pizza.
Dick: Pizza it is.
I am curious whether saying X it is is just ...
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2
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1
answer
82
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What topicalizing role does "do" play in "Only now do we have what we need to move forward"?
In the sentence "Only now do we have what we need to move forward", the word do clearly has some emphasizing meaning.
But I would like a more precise understanding. Topicalization and fronting are ...
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0
answers
44
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question about inverting adjectives(fronting)
Can the sentence 'Fast and convenient are the laundry rooms on the second floor' also be used as 'Fast and convenient the laundry rooms are on the second floor'? I wanted to ask if this sentence ...
user272378
2
votes
3
answers
643
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Fronting correct use [closed]
I have this phrase (created myself)
He was entering into the office slowly / Slowly, he was entering into the office.
(there shouldn't be difference I suppose)
Now, the rules say that if I have ...
1
vote
3
answers
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Fronting mid sentence?
He sensed that his life was in danger, and so overhanging his mind, always was the dreadful notion that he may meet his end very soon.
In the bolded part of the above example, is fronting used ...
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votes
3
answers
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Inversion or fronting with "so"
Sentences such as:
So says the preacher.
So began the fight.
Are they an example of inversion? I searched around, but all I could find was that the inversions with so can happen with only ...
- 513
2
votes
2
answers
196
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Preposing construction: "This I know" [closed]
"This I know today, but back then..."
What does this word order show? What's the rule?
7
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4
answers
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"Here he comes", "Here comes he" : The order of pronoun and verb in inversion
It's very common to say:
"Here he comes."
"Here comes the man."
But what about:
"Here comes he."
"Here the man comes."
Is there a rule about the order of ...
- 1,317
6
votes
3
answers
682
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Use of Inversion : Adverbial phrase
I'm from Korea, a non-English speaking country.
I recently had my mid-term on English.
In the test, there was a question asking us to put words in order and make them into a full sentence. The ...
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4
votes
1
answer
369
views
Shifting position of a noun clause within a sentence
I came across the following odd-sounding sentence while reading The Time Machine by H. G. Wells:
But how the trick was done he could not explain.
In this sentence, the clause 'how the trick ...
- 645
4
votes
3
answers
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"Wrote it I did" Is this grammatical?
Are the following two examples grammatical?
Write it I have.
Wrote it I did.
Consider as possible contexts:
They said that I have to write it, and write it I have. -- (for #1)
They said that I ...
- 45.1k
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vote
2
answers
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Can a sentence begin with an object or reflexive noun?
I'm writing a function (for a game) which converts a sentence with Spivak pronouns into one with pronouns as specified by a user-selected template.
For example, the following input sentence:
"E ...
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44
votes
4
answers
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What term can be used to describe Yoda's speech?
What is Yoda's speech called? Is there a particular name for it (such as "dangling...")?
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