Advanced fronting: and finish it she did
And finish it she did, gone are the days, standing at the door was a stranger, try as he might.
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At C1 you fronted objects, adjectives and places: Some of the photos I kept, Strange as it may seem, On the hill stood a church. At C2 a few more parts of the sentence can move to the front: a whole verb phrase, to confirm what was expected; a participle or adjective before be, to make the subject come last; and a whole wh- clause. You also look again at try as he might, met at C1, with other verbs. All of them add emphasis and are most common in writing, speeches and storytelling.
Normal order | Fronted |
|---|---|
She said she'd finish it, and she did finish it. | She said she'd finish it, and finish it she did. |
The days when we could park here are gone. | Gone are the days when we could park here. |
A stranger was standing at the door. | Standing at the door was a stranger. |
However hard he tried, he couldn't sleep. | Try as he might, he couldn't sleep. |
A verb phrase first: and finish it she did
When something was promised, expected or doubted, you can front the verb phrase (the verb with its object or complement) and leave the subject + auxiliary at the end. The auxiliary carries the stress. The meaning is "and that is exactly what happened".
- They promised to win the league, and win it they did.
- I told him to apologise, and apologise he did, in front of everyone.
- She wanted to be a pilot, and a pilot she became.
A fronted complement works the same way.
- Incorrect: She said she would finish the book by Friday, and finished it she did.
- Correct: She said she would finish the book by Friday, and finish it she did.The fronted verb is in the base form; the tense is shown by did.
A participle or adjective + be + subject
A participle (-ing or -ed) or an adjective phrase, often a comparative or one with equally, especially or also, can come first, followed by be and then the subject. The subject comes last because it is the new or the most important information. The subject is usually a long noun phrase.
- Gone are the days when a degree guaranteed a good job.
- Standing in the doorway was a man in a long grey coat.
- Attached is a copy of the signed contract.
Common in formal letters and emails; Please find attached is also used.
- Far more serious was the damage to the company's reputation.
- Included in the price are breakfast and airport transfers.
Be agrees with the subject that follows: are, because there are two things.
- Incorrect: Gone the days are when we could park for free.
- Correct: Gone are the days when we could park for free.After the fronted participle comes be, then the subject.
The verb comes before the subject only when the subject is a noun phrase. With a pronoun, use the normal order.
- Incorrect: Standing at the door was he.
- Correct: He was standing at the door.
Try as he might
Verb + as + subject + might (or may) means "however hard someone tries or tried". The verb at the front is always in the base form, for every person and tense. The pattern is formal and mostly used with try, though other verbs are possible.
- Try as she might, she couldn't remember his name.
- Try as they may, they will never please everyone.
- Search as we might, we couldn't find the receipt.
- Incorrect: Tried as he might, he couldn't open the window.
- Correct: Try as he might, he couldn't open the window.The fronted verb does not take -ed or -s.
A clause or a demonstrative first
A whole wh- clause (what, why, how, whether), or this and that, can come first to link back to something said before. The subject and verb keep their normal order.
- What she wants, she usually gets.
- Why he resigned we may never know.
- He says the figures are correct. That I very much doubt.
- This I did not expect.
Choosing to front
Fronting is a choice of style, never a must. Each pattern above has a plain version that is always correct. Use fronting to link a sentence to the last one, to set up a contrast, or for a rhetorical effect in a speech or a story. Several fronted sentences close together can sound unnatural.
- Gone are the days of cheap flights. Gone, too, is the free luggage allowance.
Repeating the same fronted pattern is a rhetorical device.
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Where this rule sits
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