Stylistic Fronting
Fundurinn sem haldinn var í gær gekk vel. (The meeting that was held yesterday went well.) Everyday order: fundurinn sem var haldinn í gær.
How It Works
The one condition: a subject gap. In a sem clause about the subject, the subject is missing from the clause itself. In fundurinn sem var haldinn, the meeting is outside the clause, so the slot before var is empty. Formal Icelandic can fill that slot:
- everyday: fundurinn sem var haldinn í gær
- formal: fundurinn sem haldinn var í gær
What can move. Short words that would otherwise come after the verb:
- a past participle: allt sem sagt var (everything that was said)
- a supine: þeir sem skrifað hafa ritgerð (those who have written an essay)
- an adjective: sá sem fyrstur kemur (the one who comes first)
- a particle: allir sem inn komu (everyone who came in)
- the word ekki: þeir sem ekki hafa greitt (those who have not paid)
Main clauses without a subject. It also happens in main clauses with no subject at all, such as the impersonal passive and impersonal phrases common in the news:
- Búið er að loka veginum. (The road has been closed.)
- Fram kom á fundinum að … (It came out at the meeting that …)
Not with a subject. If the clause has its own subject, nothing can jump in front of the verb this way: bókin sem ég hef lesið, never bókin sem lesið hef ég. That is what separates this from fronting for emphasis, which can move a whole phrase to the front even when the clause has a subject.
How to use it. Recognize it in newspapers, official writing and books. In speech, the plain order is normal and never wrong.
Examples (6)
- Fundurinn sem haldinn var í gær gekk vel.
The meeting that was held yesterday went well.
Word by Word: The-meeting that held was yesterday went well.
The participle haldinn moves in front of var.
- Þeir sem skrifað hafa ritgerð vita þetta.
Those who have written an essay know this.
Word by Word: They who written have essay know this.
- Allt sem sagt var á fundinum er trúnaðarmál.
Everything that was said at the meeting is confidential.
Word by Word: All that said was at the-meeting is confidential-matter.
- Þeir sem ekki hafa greitt fá áminningu.
Those who have not paid will get a reminder.
Word by Word: They who not have paid get reminder.
ekki moves in front of the verb hafa.
- Búið er að loka veginum.
The road has been closed.
Word by Word: Done is to close the-road.
There is no subject, so búið fills the first slot.
- Fram kom á fundinum að verkinu seinkar.
It came out at the meeting that the work is delayed.
Word by Word: Forth came at the-meeting that the-work delays.
Common Mistakes
Fronting a participle when the clause already has a subject.
Bókin sem lesið hef ég er góð.Bókin sem ég hef lesið er góð.Here ég is the subject of the clause, so there is no gap to fill. Keep the normal order.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Stylistic fronting builds on sem and fronting.
Related Patterns
- sá sem / það semThe One Who and What (Sá Sem, Það Sem)
sá sem fyrstur kemur and allt sem sagt var use this pattern.
Level 3 - The Supine (sagnbót)
A supine such as skrifað is one of the words that can move forward.
Level 2 - Impersonal Passive (það var dansað)
Impersonal clauses have no subject, so a word can move into the first slot.
Level 4 - Past Participles as Adjectives
Agreeing participles like haldinn are the most common fronted words.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice Stylistic Fronting in Bubblegum
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