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Extraposition and marked word order
C2 C2 grammar · lesson 10 of 12
English prefers to put short, known information first and long, new information last. Extraposition and other changes in word order help you follow this principle and control what the reader notices.
The end-weight principle
Long, heavy subjects at the start of a sentence are hard to process. English usually moves them to the end and fills the subject position with it or there. This is called extraposition.
| Heavy subject first (unusual) | Extraposed (natural) |
|---|---|
| That he refused the offer surprised us. | It surprised us that he refused the offer. |
| To learn a language in three months is hard. | It is hard to learn a language in three months. |
| Whether the event goes ahead is unclear. | It is unclear whether the event goes ahead. |
| Arguing with him is pointless. | It‘s pointless arguing with him. |
Extraposition of objects
With verbs such as find, make, consider, think, a long object clause also moves to the end, and it stays in the object position. You cannot leave out this it.
I find it strange that nobody has noticed the error.
The new software makes it easier to track orders.
We consider it essential that all staff attend.
It remains to be seen whether the plan will work.
Other marked word orders
Besides extraposition, you can move elements for focus or for smooth linking between sentences:
- Fronting an object or complement to contrast it: Most of the work I can do myself. The wiring I’ll leave to an expert.
- Postponing a long subject after a place adverbial (locative inversion): At the top of the hill stood an old stone church.
- Heavy object shift: a long object moves after a short adverbial or particle: She explained to the class the rules she had decided to introduce.
- Existential there with a long subject: There remain several questions that nobody has answered.
Into the room walked a tall man in a grey coat.
There exists no simple solution to this problem.
Lucy gave to charity everything she had won in the competition.
Particularly worrying is the rise in youth unemployment.
✗ Is important that we arrive early.
✓ It is important that we arrive early.
✗ I find difficult to concentrate here.
✓ I find it difficult to concentrate here.
✗ Into the room walked he.
✓ Into the room he walked. (pronoun subjects do not invert)
✗ It surprised me she to leave.
✓ It surprised me that she left.
These choices do not change the facts of a sentence, but they change its focus – a key skill for clear, well-organised writing.