Page 535 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

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sentence structure (5): fronting People like that I just can't stand
Affirmative sentences most often begin with the grammatical subject.
I just can't stand people li/ce that.
Ifwe begin a sentence with something else ('fronting'), this is often to make it the topic - the thing we are talking about - even though it is not the grammatical subject. This can also move the main new information to the end - its most natural position (see 512).
This question we have already discussed at some length.
AU the other information which you need I am putting in the post today.
(from a business letter)
Any video in our catalogue we can supply, ifavailable. (Notice in music
shop.)
Fronting is particularly common in speech.
People like that I just can't stand.
(A) fat lot ofgood that does me. (= 'That doesn't do me much good', but
putting strong emphasis on me.) Question-word clauses are often fronted.
What I'm going to do next I just don't know.
How she got the gun through customs we never found out.
Vety good lesson we had
Fronting words in short sentences can also give them extra emphasis. This happens mostly in speech.
Strange people they are!
Very good lesson we had yesterday. Last for ever these shoes will.
In a few exclamatory expressions, a noun is fronted before that, but this is uncommon in modem English.
Fool that I was!
ellipsis: Postman been?
In a very informal style, articles, pronouns and auxiliary verbs are often left out, bringing a more important word to the front of the clause. This is called 'ellipsis': for details, see 179.
Postman been? Seen John?
Sometimes ellipsis is used to front a verb and/or complement, while the subject is put in a 'tag' (see 514) at the end.
Likes his beer, Stephen does.
Funny, your brother. Nice day, isn't it?
adverbs etc: Off we go!
Many adverbs and adverbial expressions can go at the beginning of a clause (see 22). This often happens when we are using the adverbs to structure a piece of narrative or a description.
Once upon a time there were three little pigs. One day ... Then . .. Soon after that . .. After dark, ...
Inside the front door there is ... Opposite the living room is ... On the right
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you can see ... At the top of the stairs. . .
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