End focus describes the heightened attention we give to information placed at the end of a clause or sentence.
In sentences of common word order, the information at the end of a sentence is usually new information, which is why it is marked by stress or special emphasis
The most common word order in an English sentence is Subject-Verb-Object, where the subject is known information and the verb gives new information about that subject. It is because this structure is so common that readers expect to find new information in the latter part of a sentence. This expectation is called the Known-New Contract.
The known-new contract is great for creating cohesion in your writing and managing your readers’ attention. For example, to direct your reader’s attention to the most important information in your sentence, place it near the end, where your reader’s attention will generally be at its highest. By doing this you allow important (new) information and end focus to work together to create a better reading experience.
Let’s look at an example of how to use end focus in a sentence.
Using End Focus in a Sentence
The following passage demonstrates the known-new contract, and how it should coincide with end focus. The key is the second sentence, which opens with old information (orange) and ends with new information (blue):
My uncle finally bought a new car. His new car is much cooler than his rusty old minivan.
By the second sentence, the reader knows the uncle has purchased a new car, so it begins with the known information, His new car. The sentence continues with new information about that new car, which is that it is cooler than the rusty old minivan. Reading the sentence aloud, you should hear a rise in intonation at rusty old minivan, creating greater emphasis on the new information.
But what happens when you place the new information ahead of the old?
The most common outcome is a weak ending:
My uncle finally bought a new car. His rusty old minivan is not nearly as cool as his new car.
In the example above, the power of end focus is diluted. The new information has moved from the end to the front: His rusty old minivan now appears as the subject instead of coming after the verb. The reader, who is used to seeing important information placed in positions of stress, does not know if the writer is concerned more about the new car or the old minivan. Worse than that, the sudden change of focus from the new car to the rusty old minivan is a bit disorienting.
The first example is easier for the reader to follow because the new car is the last thing mentioned in the first sentence and the first thing mentioned in the second sentence, creating excellent cohesion. It takes advantage of the known-new contract.
Writers who break the known-new contract can frustrate readers and lose the effect of placing stress on important information.
Exceptions?
There may be times when placing new information in the subject position makes sense, and you can pull it off more smoothly by inverting word order or delaying the subject position within the sentence, but in most cases, you can’t go wrong by adhering to the known-new contract and placing important information where readers expect to find it.
Note: In the book, Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, Williams and Bizup use the terms Topic and Stress, which should align with Subject and Verb. Ideally, the subject should be the topic of the sentence, and the verb should stress a new point about that topic.