Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

S

V 

O

He loves football.

(unmarked, normal word order: the subject, he, is the theme)

O

S 

V 

That furniture we bought years ago, this lot is more recent.

(marked word order: that furniture is the theme, rather than we)

Marked (untypical) word order may be used to create various kinds of focus, that

is, special emphasis on particular elements for a variety of purposes. 

The basic rules for clause and sentence structures (

Û

269–337

) describe how to

build unmarked sentences. However, in connected discourse, other choices have to

be made concerning such things as introducing new topics, distinguishing between

---

new and old information, linking events in particular ways, flagging or highlighting

the importance of something, foregrounding some things and backgrounding

others, all of which may have implications for choices of word order.