So strong was the wind that…: fronting for focus and cohesion
Control what the reader meets first and last: so / such + inversion, fronted adjectives and place phrases, given before new
What you'll be able to do
Control what your reader meets first and last, so that sentences link smoothly and the important idea lands where it should, in speeches, essays and polished writing.
Given before new
English sentences usually start with what the reader already knows and end with what is new: the end of the sentence carries the most weight. Fronting moves something to the start, to link back to the previous sentence, set up a contrast or build up to the key point.
- Its roof was designed by a local architect.after a sentence about a new library: its links back, and the new information comes last
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| so + adjective + be + subject + that | So strong was the wind that the ferry stayed in port. |
| so + adverb + auxiliary + subject + verb + that | So quickly did the news spread that… |
| such + be + noun + that | Such was the demand that tickets sold out in minutes. |
| adjective or participle + be + subject | Particularly worrying is the rise in youth unemployment. |
| place or direction + verb + subject | At the end of the corridor stood a locked door. |
| fronted object, for contrast | This I can accept; that I cannot. |
- So strong was the wind that the ferry stayed in port.so + adjective first: be comes before the subject
- Such was the demand that the tickets sold out in minutes.such + be + noun: how great something was, then its result
- Particularly worrying is the sharp rise in unemployment among young people.the fronted adjective links back; the long new subject comes last
- Gone are the days when a degree guaranteed a good job.a fixed pattern with a fronted participle
- At the far end of the long corridor stood a locked door.a place phrase first, in descriptive writing
After a place or direction phrase, the whole verb comes before the subject, with no do. A pronoun subject doesn't move: Off she went, not Off went she.
Common mistakes
So strong the wind was that…→ So strong was the wind that…Such the demand was that…→ Such was the demand that…Into the room did walk a stranger.→ Into the room walked a stranger.- Fronting every sentence: use it to link back, contrast or build a climax, not as decoration.
Practice
- So loud _____ that we couldn't hear each other.Options: was the music · the music was · did the music be
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was the music — So + adjective at the front: be comes before the subject.
- _____ the noise that nobody could hear the speaker.Options: Such was · So was · Such did
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Such was — Such + be + noun (the noise) + that.
- So quickly _____ that the shop sold out by noon.Options: did the news spread · the news spread · spread the news did
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did the news spread — So + adverb at the front, with an ordinary verb: did + subject + base form.
- Gone _____ the days when everyone had a landline.
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are — Gone are the days: be comes before the subject, and the days is plural.
- Particularly worrying _____ the fall in the number of nurses.
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is — Fronted adjective + be + subject: the fall is singular.