10.000 Chapter 10: The structure of information

Chapter 10: The structure of information

10.1 Introduction

10.8 Focusing on the thing affected: the passive voice

10.25 Selecting focus: cleft sentences

10.31 Taking the focus off the subject: using impersonal 'it'

10.34 Describing a place or situation

10.36 describing the weather

10.39 using link verbs

10.42 Commenting on a fact that you are about to mention

10.46 saying that something exists

10.56 Commenting on your statement: sentence adjuncts

10.57 indicating your opinion

10.68 specification

10.73 Showing connections: linking adjuncts

10.82 Indicating a change in a conversation

10.85 Emphasizing

10.87 Indicating the most relevant thing: focusing adverbs

10.92 Putting something first: fronting

10.96 Introducing your statement: prefacing structures

10.102 Doing by saying: performative verbs

10.106 Exclamations

10.110 Making a statement into a question: question tags

10.115 Addressing people: vocatives

10.1 Introduction

The position of the elements of clause structure in a statement usually follows the sequence 'subject, verb, object, complement, adjunct'. The subject, which is what you are going to talk about, comes first. If you want to express yourself normally and not draw special attention to any part of the clause, then you follow this sequence.

• Donald was lying on the bed.
• She has brought the tape with her.
• He wiped the glass dry with a tea-towel.

The examples above are in the declarative mood. Chapter 4 explains the mood system in English and shows how other meanings can be expressed using the interrogative and imperative moods. These other moods involve regular changes in the sequence of elements in the clause.

• Is he ill?
• Put it on the table.

10.2

However, there are other ways of putting the elements of clause structure in a different sequence, in order to give special emphasis or meaning to the clause or a part of it.

• In his enthusiasm, Captain Cheshire had hoped to raise the money this year.
• The third sheet he folded and placed in his pocket.

This applies mainly to main clauses. This Chapter shows how you can vary the order of the clause elements in a main clause when you want to give special force to the whole clause or to one of its elements.

In most subordinate clauses, you have no choice about the order of the clause elements.