BUDLING
All grammar topics
Share

Information Packaging (Existential There, Extraposition)

1 min
C2
CEFR C2·clauses

Formula

Existential there
("There were rumors of a strike.")
Extraposition with "it"
("It is clear that we must act.")
("Mistakes were made…")
Fronting heavy info
put new/important info at the END

Examples

Positive
It is essential that everyone arrives on time.
Negative
There weren't many people at the conference.
Question
Is it true that they've left already?

Usage

  • •Move long or new information to where it gets natural emphasis (usually the end)
  • •Use "there" or "it" as a placeholder to keep the sentence structure smooth
  • •Make complex sentences easier to process for the reader/listener

More Examples

  • It surprised me that he agreed so quickly.

    "It" stands in for the heavy that-clause

  • There exists no simple solution to this problem.

    Formal existential with strong noun phrase

  • Mistakes were made and lessons learned.

    Passive to avoid naming agent

  • It came to light that the report was inaccurate.

    Extraposition with "it" + lexical verb

  • What troubles me most is the lack of transparency.

    WH-cleft for end-focus

Common Mistakes

  • ✗Long heavy subject before short verb: "That he came to the meeting late despite the warning surprised me" → "It surprised me that he came…".
  • ✗Using "there is/are" when "it" is needed: ❌ "There is important to study" → ✓ "It is important to study".

Tips

  • ✓Principle of END-WEIGHT: long, complex phrases sit at the END of the sentence.
  • ✓Principle of END-FOCUS: new/important information goes at the END, where stress naturally falls.

Advanced Notes

Information packaging is a discourse-level skill invisible to most learners yet central to why native writing feels effortless. The end-weight principle (heavy constituents go last) and the end-focus principle (new/important information goes last) together explain most decisions about extraposition, existential "there", passivisation, and clefting. Skilled writers constantly shift between these tools to guide where the reader's attention lands. Learners who understand grammar at sentence level but not discourse level will write grammatically correct but oddly front-heavy paragraphs. At C2, internalising these two principles — not just knowing the structures — is the goal.

Quiz loads as you scroll…

Compare With

There Is / There Are(A1)Cleft Sentences(C2)