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Fronting and emphatic do
C1 C1 grammar · lesson 11 of 16
English has a fixed word order, but you can move words to the front or add an extra do to give emphasis. These tools help you sound expressive and persuasive.
Emphatic do
In positive sentences in the present simple, past simple and imperative, we can add do / does / did before the base verb to add emphasis. In speech, this word is stressed.
| Normal | Emphatic | Use |
|---|---|---|
| I like your hair. | I do like your hair! | strong feeling |
| She knows the answer. | She does know the answer. | contradicting doubt |
| We locked the door. | We did lock the door – I’m sure. | insisting |
| Sit down. | Do sit down. | polite, warm invitation |
“You never listen to me.” “That’s not true! I do listen.”
I didn’t buy a new phone, but I did get a new case.
Ali does seem tired today.
Do help yourself to some cake.
Fronting
Fronting means moving a part of the sentence that normally comes later (an object, a complement, an adverbial) to the beginning. This makes it the topic or puts it in contrast.
Fronted object or complement
The normal subject–verb order stays the same:
Some of his ideas I agree with; others I find strange.
Strange it may seem, but it’s true.
That film I’ll never forget.
Fronted place or movement: subject and verb change places
When an adverbial of place or direction is fronted, especially with verbs like be, stand, lie, sit, come, go, the whole verb and subject can invert. This is common in descriptions and stories. Note: this is not question order – there is no auxiliary.
On the hill stood an old castle.
Into the room walked a tall man with a beard.
Here comes the bus!
With a pronoun subject there is no inversion: Here it comes, not Here comes it.
Fronting with as and though
In formal English, an adjective or adverb can be fronted before as or though to mean “although”: Tired as she was, Lucy kept working. = Although she was very tired, Lucy kept working. Hard though he tried, Sam couldn’t open the jar. This structure is typical of written stories and speeches.
Common mistakes
✗ He does works very hard.
✓ He does work very hard.
✗ I did enjoyed the party.
✓ I did enjoy the party.
✗ Here comes she.
✓ Here she comes.
✗ On the table did lie a letter.
✓ On the table lay a letter.