EXTRAPOSITION

Formal conceptual representation

Quirk et al.s grammar defines extraposition as being a postponement which involves the
replacement of the postponed element by a substitute form (Quirk et al., 1985: 1391). This
construction can appear in three types of clauses: subject clause, -ing clause, and object clause.
1. When substituting the subject of a sentence in an extraposition of a subject clause
construction, it takes only the grammatical function of subject in the sentence, also called
anticipatory subject, while the logical subject is placed at the end of the sentence as postponed
subject. There are some sentences in extraposition with verbs like seem, appear, happen, etc.
which cannot be turned in a nonextraposition version.
2. As far as the extraposition of an -ing clause is concerned, grammarians claim that such a
construction is not formal, due to the confusion brought upon the main focused information.
3. In the extraposition of an object clause, the object clause could be an -ing clause, a toinfinitive clause, or even that-clause (Quirk et al., 1985: 1391-1393).
Angela Downing and Philip Locke (2006: 48) use the terminology found in Quirk et al. with
slight differences, claiming that there are sentences constructed with anticipatory it required by
certain verbs, which do not have a corresponding pattern for the initial position.
What grammarians seem to agree with, regarding the usage of this type of constructions, is
that extraposition of clauses occurs especially when the subject is very long, following the endweight principle of focusing the main information.
Examples
E.g.: It seems to me, Stamford, [...] that you have some reason for washing your hands of the
matter. (Arthur Conan Doyle, p. 15) ~ *That you have some reason for washing your hands of the
matter seems to me. = extraposition of a that- subject clause.
Its not easy trying to control the thirst. (Stephanie Meyer, p. 137) = extraposition of an ing
subject clause
After I heard your view I made it my business to see him.(Arthur Conan Doyle, p. 669) = extraposition of a to-infinitive object clause.
Graphic representation

Bibliography
Biber, Douglas, Susan Conrad, and Geoffrey Leech, Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written
English, Longman, Harlow, 2002.
Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sherlock Holmes. The Complete Stories, Wordsworth Edition, London, 2006.
Downing, Angela, and Locke, Philip, English Grammar. A University Course. Second Edition, Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group, London and New York, 2006.
Meyer, Stephenie, Twilight, Atom, London, 2005.
Quirk, Randolph, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik, A Comprehensive Grammar of
the English Language, Longman Inc., New York, 1985.
Ciprian Iovu
English-Romanian
Class of 2012