Definition / Explanation
Fronting means moving a word, phrase, or clause to the beginning of the sentence to give it more emphasis or to link it with previous information. English usually follows a fairly fixed word order, so fronting changes the information focus rather than the basic meaning. It is common with adverbials, objects, and negative expressions in more advanced writing and speech. Some types of fronting are neutral and common, while others sound literary, formal, or strongly emphatic. At B2, learners should notice fronting as a tool for focus and cohesion, not use it mechanically everywhere.
Key Rules
- Fronting often brings an adverbial to the front: Carefully, he opened the box.
- Objects can be fronted for emphasis: This book, I really recommend.
- Fronting can help connect with what was mentioned before.
- Some negative fronting patterns require inversion, but that is a more advanced special case.
- Use fronting carefully because too much of it can sound unnatural or dramatic.
Examples
- This book, I really recommend.
- Carefully, he opened the box.
- On the table stood a vase of flowers.
- That kind of attitude, I cannot accept.
- In the afternoon, we usually work from home.
Common Mistakes
- ❌ This book, I really recommend it. -> ✅ This book, I really recommend.
- ❌ Carefully he opened the box. -> ✅ Carefully, he opened the box.
- ❌ On the table a vase stood of flowers. -> ✅ On the table stood a vase of flowers.
Tips
- Fronting is most useful when you want to highlight contrast, continue a topic, or guide the reader's attention. If the sentence sounds strange after fronting, the normal word order may be better.