Shifting position of a noun clause within a sentence?

Question

I came across the following odd-sounding sentence while reading The Time Machine by H. G. Wells: > 1. But **how the trick was done** he could not explain. In this sentence, the clause 'how the trick was done' is a noun clause and functions as the object of the verb 'explain'. So it should go after the verb and the correct version of this sentence should be as follows: > 2. But he could not explain **how the trick was done.** Is this kind of shifting of noun clause normal in English literature?

Answer 1

It is acceptable to front the noun clause like in that sentence but it not natural sounding. Since you state that it was a sentence you encountered in reading "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells I am assuming it was done for literary effect. You would have to read the sentence in context of the text as a whole and think about the effect on the reader. It certainly emphasizes the clause as a "topic" and highlights it.

In American Sign Language there is a fairly flexible word order where depending on what the focus or the topic of the sentence is you can move the constituent part to the front as the topic. For example, BOY LOVES GIRL would be SVO word order and is acceptable as a simple statement in ASL but if you want to emphasize it is the girl that the boy loves you can structure the sentence GIRL(topic), BOY LOVES. There is a specific head position and facial expression with eyebrows raised that marks "GIRL" as the topic and there is a slight pause in the signing that also signals that "GIRL" is the topic. I believe your example from H.G. Wells is functioning in the same way to provide emphasis on the noun phrase "how the trick was done."

Best wishes

Bill Newell