Heavy movement

Question

"Microeconomics is the study of how individual consumers and producers make their decisions. This includes a single person, a household, a business or a governmental organization. Microeconomics ranges from how these individuals trade with one another, to how prices are affected by the supply and demand of goods. Also studied are the efficiency and costs associated with producing goods and services, how labor is divided and allocated, uncertainty, risk, and strategic game theory."

(From investopedia.com)

Is the subject in the extraposition in the sentence Also studied are the efficiency and costs associated with producing goods and services, how labor is divided and allocated, uncertainty, risk, and strategic game theory? And if so, does it have something to do with "heavy movement" i.e., putting a long phrase(s)/clause(s) at the end of the sentence?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

My personal opinion is that this inversion is more for the sake of providing some variety in the sentence structures in the paragraph because 'are also studied' could easily have been placed at the end without disturbing the flow of the sentence. In other words, I'd be hesitant to invoke 'heavy movement' in analyzing this sentence.

CJ

BillJ · Answer

Also studied are the efficiency and costs associated with producing goods and services, how labor is divided and allocated, uncertainty, risk, and strategic game theory.

No: it's not inversion or an extraposition construction, but a matter of 'preposing' a complement to a position before the subject when its basic position would be after the verb.

Preposed complements serve as a link to the preceding discourse, and are closely related to information previously introduced. Notice here that the topic of the study of microeconomics is introduced in the first sentence, and the preposed element "also studied" serves as a link to it.

Thus there is a clear link here between the complement and the preceding discourse, and that's why it is preposed.

(Incidentally, putting an element at or near the end of a clause rather than in the earlier position that would be its default position is called 'postposing', e.g. They bought an extraordinarily lavish lunch with them ~ They bought with them an extraordinarily lavish lunch.

Extraposition, by contrast, typically involves placing the subject (clause) of a basic clause in postverbal position and replacing it with the dummy pronoun "it", as in To give up now would be a mistake ~ It would be a mistake to give up now. )

Heavy movement

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