An ELT Glossary : Fronting


Definition : Moving to initial clause position an element normally found in a later position, usually for emphasis.

Example : in Up in the air went the kite the adverbial is fronted - compare the "normal" word order in The kite went up in the air


Fronting may, as in the example here, involve Subject Verb inversion.  However, notice that this does not always happen if the subject is a pronoun – Up in the air it went.

Negative adverbs also cause SV inversion if fronted, but in this case the operator is inverted - not the main verb :

Never have I been so embarassed!
Rarely do you find examples of such good quality.
Hardly had he spoken, when....