JS Tip 515: The Law of Primacy

Shortly after we published the tip on introductory commas (Tip 512, “The Introductory Comma”), our friend Lyle Jenkins at IMFT sent us a request:

Please address why you would want or need to use an introductory phrase instead of putting the main subject first.

We can do that. 

Our answer: It’s a matter of emphasis. 

Consider the difference between these two sentences: 

Three days after we completed the bridge, a storm wiped out the access road. 

vs.

A storm wiped out the access road three days after we completed the bridge. 

The first sentence emphasizes the short time we had access to the bridge: three days. Three days. Doggone. You’d think Mother Nature would have cut us some slack. 

The second sentence emphasizes the storm. It wiped everything out. The access road. The parking lot. The Ferris wheel. Swooosh. Gone. That was some storm.

The emphasis follows a principle called “The law of primacy.” We tend to remember—notice—pay attention to—the first things we see. 

You—the writer—decide what you want to emphasize. 

How’s that? 

What are your questions?