How Do You Spell EXTRAPOSITION?

Pronunciation: [ˌɛkstɹəpəzˈɪʃən] (IPA)

The word "extraposition" (/eks.trə.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/) refers to the act of moving a phrase or clause to the end of a sentence for emphasis or clarity. The word is spelled with the prefix "extra-" which means "beyond" and the suffix "-position" which means "placement". The stress falls on the third syllable, "po", with the vowel sound in "position" being the same as in "vision". Understanding the phonetic transcription can help to properly pronounce and spell the word.

EXTRAPOSITION Meaning and Definition

1. Extraposition refers to a syntactic process in which certain constituents are displaced or moved to the end of a sentence or clause for the purpose of emphasizing or organizing information. It involves shifting an element that would normally appear earlier in a sentence to a later position, typically after the main verb or predicate.

   In English grammar, extraposition is often employed to rearrange a sentence structure in order to create a more coherent and effective message. Typically, the extraposed constituent is a noun phrase or a subordinate clause, and it is moved to the end of the sentence to highlight or deemphasize the information it contains. This restructuring often occurs to achieve a better flow of ideas or to avoid potential ambiguity.

   For example, consider the sentence "The fact that she failed the test upset her." Here, the extraposition process pushes the noun phrase "The fact" to the end of the sentence, resulting in "It upset her that she failed the test." This reordering allows for the main focus of the sentence, in this case, the emotional response of the subject, to be highlighted at the beginning, while the additional information, i.e., the reason behind the upset, is placed towards the end.

   Extraposition plays a crucial role in syntactical and rhetorical devices, allowing writers and speakers to organize their content effectively, create emphasis, and establish coherence in their language usage.

Etymology of EXTRAPOSITION

The word "extraposition" is derived from the Latin roots "extra-" meaning "outside" or "beyond", and "positio" meaning "placing" or "positioning". In English grammar, extraposition refers to the syntactic process of moving a constituent (usually a noun phrase or a clause) from its typical position in a sentence to the end of a sentence, often for emphasis or clarity.

Plural form of EXTRAPOSITION is EXTRAPOSITIONS