fronting

Meanings

1. 1noununcountabletechnical

   In grammar, moving a word or phrase to the start of a sentence for emphasis, such as 'Never have I seen it'.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable as a technical term: fronting is common in poetic style.

   Patterns

   • fronting of something

   Fronting of the object gives the sentence a more dramatic feel.

   In 'Rarely do we eat out,' fronting makes the adverb stand out.

   Teachers often explain fronting using literary examples.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountablespecialist

   The front part of a building or the side that faces a street or a river.

   Grammar: Used about buildings: a river fronting; the fronting of the shop.

   Patterns

   • the fronting of something

   The shop's glass fronting made it bright inside.

   The hotel's fronting along the river was lined with trees.

   Builders repaired the stone fronting of the old church.

3. 3noununcountableinformal

   The act of presenting yourself as the leader or public face of a group or business, often while others control it.

   Grammar: Often used in news about business: fronting for criminals means acting as their visible cover.

   Patterns

   • fronting for someone

   Police suspect the owner was fronting for a criminal gang.

   His fronting for the company protected the real directors.

   Fronting for a band, she handled all the interviews.

Common combinations

topic fronting

Topic fronting is common in spoken English.

adverbial fronting

Adverbial fronting appears in 'Down the hill rolled the cart.'

fronting of the object

Fronting of the object puts the focus on what was done.

fronting for someone

He was accused of fronting for a hidden owner.

glass fronting

The cafe has a glass fronting that opens onto the street.

Synonyms and how they differ

inversion

Inversion reverses subject and verb order, while fronting only moves a word to the start and does not always change order.

topicalization

Topicalization is a narrower technical term for fronting the topic, and is mostly found in linguistics books.

frontage

Frontage is the common word for a building's street-facing side, so it fits better than fronting.

façade

Façade means the face of a building, and can also mean a false appearance, which fronting does not.

Opposites

Word family

front verb

to lead a group or face in a direction

front noun

the forward part of something

frontage noun

the front of a property, facing a street

frontal adjective

relating to the front

fronted adjective

having the front part moved forward or covered

Commonly confused: fronting or frontage?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “fronting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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