27- ] Grammar American & British
Inversion .
What is an «inversion»?
The term inversion refers to two different grammatical operations:
Using a question form of the main verb:
Not only did I fail the exam, but also got the worst score of my
life.
Changing the normal positions of verb and subject:
On the TV stood a peculiar figurine.
Inversion just means putting the verb before the subject. We
usually do it in question forms: Normal sentence: You are tired. (The subject
is 'you'. ... Question form: Are you tired? (The verb 'are' is before the
subject 'you'.
Inversion of the verb before the subject is a common phenomenon in
English sentences. The natural order of English sentences is (subject + verb +
. . . .) but sometimes it becomes (verb + subject). Inversion is most common
with question form of the sentences. However, there are few other circumstances
where inversion of subject and verb occurs.
Inversion happens when we reverse (invert) the normal word order of
a structure, most commonly the subject-verb word order. For example, a
statement has the subject (s) before the verb (v), but to make question word
order, we invert the subject and the verb, with an auxiliary (aux) or modal
verb (m) before the subject (s):
She[S] sings. [V]
Does [AUX] she [S] sing? [V]
They [S] are [AUX] working. [V]
Are they [AUX] [S] working? [V]
Joe [S] can [M] swim. [V]
Can[M] Joe [S] swim? [V]
Questions
When does inversion happen?
The most common type of inversion is question word order (see
above). Inversion also happens in other situations.
Negative adverbs
In formal styles, when we use an adverb with negative meaning (e.g.
never, seldom, rarely, scarcely, hardly) in front position for emphasis, we
invert the subject (s) and auxiliary (aux)/modal verb:
Never [AUX] have we[S] witnessed such cruel behavior by one child
to another. (or We have never witnessed …)
Seldom does one hear a politician say ‘sorry’. (or One seldom hears
…)
Expressions beginning with not
We also invert the subject and verb after not + a prepositional
phrase or a clause in initial position:
Not for a moment did I think I would be offered the job, so I was
amazed when I got it.
Not till I got home did I realize my wallet was missing.
Here and there
Inversion can happen after here, and after there when it is as an
adverb of place. After here and there, we can use a main verb without an
auxiliary verb or modal verb:
Here comes the bus!
Here’s your coffee.
I opened the door and there stood Michael, all covered in mud.
She looked out and there was Pamela, walking along arm in arm with
Inversion’s
Uses
We use inversion in several different situations in English.
Inversion just means putting the verb before the subject. We usually do it in
question forms:
Normal sentence: You are tired. (The subject is 'you'. It's before
the verb 'are'.)
Question form: Are you tired? (The verb 'are' is before the subject 'you'. They
have changed places. This is called inversion.)
Inversion in questions:
Almost all forms of interrogative sentences (without subject
questions and embedded questions) use inversion. These sentences always place
the auxiliary verb before the subject.
Example:
Is he going to the club?
Did he go to the club?
Where is the club?
Who is that guy standing there? (No inversion for it is a subject
question)
Inversion in other expressions:
Many other negative and affirmative sentences use inversion.
1. Affirmative and negative agreement: only after so,
nor, neither but not in the cases of either and too.
Examples:
Alex went to the club, and so did his brother.
Alex went to the club, and Jenny did too. (No inversion)
Robert hasn’t reached yet, neither has his companion.
Robert hasn’t reached yet; Robin hasn’t either. (No inversion)
Russel is not a footballer, and nor is Alex.
In most English verb tenses, when we want
to use inversion, we just move the verb to before the subject. If there's more
than one verb, because a verb tense has auxiliary verbs for example, we move
the first verb.
With two verb tenses where we just change the places of the verb
and subject:
Present simple with 'be': am I / are you / is he
Past simple with 'be': were you / was she
With other verbs tenses, we change the place of the subject and the
auxiliary verb (the first auxiliary verb if there is more than one). We don't
move the other parts of the verb:
Present continuous: am I going / are you going
Past continuous: was he going / were they going
Present perfect: have we gone / has she gone
Present perfect continuous: has she been going / have they been
going
Past perfect: had you gone
Past perfect continuous: had he been going
Future simple: will they go
Future continuous: will you be going
Future perfect: will they have gone
Future perfect continuous: will she have been going
Modal verbs: should I go / would you go
There are two tenses where we need to add 'do / does / did' to make
the question form. We also need to change the main verb back to the infinitive.
This is usually still called inversion.
Present simple with any verb except 'be' (add 'do' or 'does'): do
you go / does he go
Past simple with any verb except 'be' (add 'did'): did we go / did
they go
When do we use inversion? Of course, we use inversion in questions.
You can read more about this here. But we also sometimes use inversion in other
cases, when we are not making a question.
1: When we use a negative adverb or adverb phrase at the beginning
of the sentence.
Usually, we put the expression at the beginning of the sentence to
emphasize what we're saying. It makes our sentence sound surprising or striking
or unusual. It also sounds quite formal. If you don't want to give this
impression, you can put the negative expression later in the sentence in the
normal way:
Negative adverbial expressions at the beginning of the sentence.
Examples
In no way should we accept their offer.
Little did they know about me.
Never has he felt so embarrassed.
Seldom do they go to a tour.
Rarely do we see gypsies.
Hardly ever do they talk to each other.
Seldom have I seen such beautiful work.
('Seldom' is at the beginning, so we use inversion. This sentence
emphasizes what beautiful work it is.)
I have seldom seen such beautiful work.
('Seldom' is in the normal place, so we don't use inversion. This
is a normal sentence with no special emphasis.)
Here are some negative adverbs and adverb phrases that we often use
with inversion:
Hardly : Hardly had I got
into bed when the telephone rang.
Never :Never had she seen such a
beautiful sight before.
Seldom : Seldom do we see such an amazing display of dance.
Rarely : Rarely will you hear such
beautiful music.
Only then : Only then did I understand why the tragedy
had happened.
Not only ... but Not only does he love
chocolate and sweets but he also smokes.
No sooner : No sooner had we arrived home than the police rang the doorbell.
Scarcely : Scarcely had I got off the bus when it crashed into the back
of a car.
Only later : Only later did she really think about the situation.
Nowhere : Nowhere have I ever
had such bad service.
Little : Little did he know!
Only in this way Only in this way
could John earn enough money to survive.
In no way In no way do I agree
with what you're saying.
On no account On no account should you do
anything without asking me first.
In the following expressions, the inversion comes in the second
part of the sentence:
Not until Not until I saw John
with my own eyes did I really believe he was safe.
Not since Not since Lucy left
college had she had such a wonderful time.
Only after Only after I'd seen her
flat did I understand why she wanted to live there.
Only when Only when we'd all
arrived home did I feel calm.
Only by Only by working
extremely hard could we afford to eat.
3. Beginning with only & not only.
Example:
Only if they come would I go
Only by researching can you solve this problem.
Only after lunch can you play.
Not only did they kill the adults, but they killed also the
children.
4. Adverbials at the beginning of a sentence.
Example:
Hardly had I reached there, he left.
Seldom does the teacher finishes his class early.
Rarely does Alex forget to do his
5. Adverbs of place (here & there) at the beginning of a
sentence. This type of sentence requires the main verb (not the auxiliary verb)
to come before the subject.
Example:
There is a lady standing in front of the club.
Here comes the king.
Here is your home-made cola.
There are so many people in that field.
6. Some prepositional
phrases at the beginning of a sentence.
Example:
Into the room came she when I was sleeping.
Behind me cries a child.
Over the table hangs a painting.
7. Conditionals without the conjunction
Example:
Had he been there, he could have seen it.
Were I the president, I could do the good things.
Were he my brother, I would support him to reach his dreams.
Should you go there, I will go with you.
We only use inversion when the adverb modifies the whole phrase and
not when it modifies the noun: Hardly anyone passed the exam. (No inversion.)
2: We can use inversion instead of 'if' in conditionals with 'had'
'were' and 'should'. This is quite formal:
Normal conditional: If I had been there, this problem wouldn't have
happened.
Conditional with inversion: Had I been
there, this problem wouldn't have happened.
Normal conditional: If we had arrived sooner, we could have
prevented this tragedy!
Conditional with inversion: Had we arrived sooner, we could
have prevented this tragedy!
3: We can use inversion if we put an adverbial expression of
place at the beginning on the sentence. This is also quite formal or
literary:
On the table was all the money we had lost. (Normal sentence: All
the money we had lost was on the table.)
Round the corner came the knights. (Normal sentence: The knights
came round the corner.)
4: We can use inversion after 'so + adjective...that':
So beautiful was the girl that nobody could talk of anything else.
(Normal sentence: the girl was so beautiful that nobody could talk of anything
else.)
So delicious was the food that we ate every last bite. (Normal
sentence: the food was so delicious that we ate every last bite.)
Goldie.
Types
of inversion
Inversions after negative adverbials
This happens when the adverbial occurs at the beginning of a clause
and usually in formal contexts, with present perfect, past perfect or modals
(can or could). And it’s determined by the word or phrase at the beginning of
the sentence. For example:
Time expressions: never, rarely, seldom.
Rarely can a teacher relax in the afternoons. (modal: can)
Seldom have the students behaved so badly. (present perfect)
Never had I had so much work to do. (past perfect)
Time expressions: hardly, barely, scarcely, no sooner, for events that quickly
follow another in the past. Note the words used in the contrasting clause. This
happens typically with past perfect or past simple (no sooner).
Hardly had I parked the car, when you rang me. (past perfect)
Scarcely had she finished cooking when her son arrived home. (past
perfect)
No sooner had I left the shop than I realized the item was faulty.
(past perfect)
No sooner was she on her way to work than it started raining. (past
simple)
After only: combined with other time expressions and usually with
the past simple.
Only after hanging up did I remember that I had forgotten to
congratulate her.
Only then did I realize she had been kidding.
Only when he started crying did she understand how he really felt.
Phrases containing no/not: on no account, under no circumstances,
at no time, in no way, on no condition, not until, not only…(but also), etc.
On no condition are you to park in front of the emergency door.
Not until she told me did I notice that she’d had her hair cut.
After little: when little has a negative or restrictive meaning.
Little did she imagine what his real intentions were.
Inversions after so/such with that
It takes place when so/such occurs at the beginning of a clause.
After so when the main verb is be: used for emphasis.
So exhausting was the race that his knees were not responding
properly anymore.
After such when the main verb is be: it means so much/so great.
Such was the pain in his ankle that he could not carry on with the
race.
Inversions in Conditional Sentences without if
If you (should) have any further questions, please contact me.
(first conditional)
Inversion: Should you have any further questions, please contact
me.
If we were to visit you, could you put us up? (second conditional
with were to + infinitive)
Inversion: Were we to visit you, could you put us up?
If he had found out what you did, he would have fired you. (third
conditional)
Inversion: Had he found out what you did, he would have fired you.
Inversions after as
Typically occurs in formal or written language.
Example
We were fed up with all the noise, as were most of our neighbors.
Inversions after so, neither, and nor
This happens in echoing statements, agreeing or disagreeing.
Example
A: I’ll have a coke, please.
B: So will I.
We
use inversion:
When we start a sentence with a negative adverbial expression, an
adverbial expression of place, or simply an adverb
With: "only after", "only if", "only
when", etc. when placed at the beginning of a sentence for rhetorical
effect
In conditional sentences without "if"
To add emphasis, usually sounding more formal.
Examples
"Under no circumstances should you open the box."
(You should not open the box.)
"On the table were
three old books."
(Three old books were on the table.)
"Hardly had I entered
the room when the orchestra began to play."
(I had hardly entered the room when the orchestra began to play.)
"Only when it started
raining did he give me the umbrella."*
(He gave me the umbrella only when it started raining.)
* Note that the inversion occurs in the main clause after
expressions such as only after, only if, only when.
Further examples
"Had I gone to university, I might have been a doctor."
(If I had gone to university, I might have been a doctor.)
"Had I not gone to
university, I wouldn’t have been a doctor."
(If I hadn’t gone to university, I wouldn’t have been a doctor.)
"Had you gone to
university, would you have been a doctor?"
(If you had gone to university, would you have been a doctor?)
Some common negative adverbials
Never (before), Rarely, Seldom…
Under no circumstances…
Hardly, Scarcely …when…
No sooner…than…
Little…
In no way…
Not only…but…
On no account…
At no time…
Examples
As soon as I arrived, the music started.
"No sooner did I arrive than the music started."
You mustn’t have the music
too loud.
"On no account must you have the music too loud." *
He’d never seen anything like it before.
"Never before had he seen anything like it." *
I’d never seen the film.
"At no time had I (ever) seen the film." *
* Note that a negative verb transforms as a positive verb when
following a negative adverbial expression.
Inversion
Exercise & Practice with Explanation
1. Rarely _______ anyone using typewriters now-a-days.
Explanation: This sentence is an example of inversion. For
‘inverted’ sentences, the sentence structure is changed: ‘auxiliary verb +
subject + main verb’.
2. ________ received law degrees as today.
Explanation: Sentences started with ‘never’ are considered as
inversions. The structure for such kind of sentence is ‘auxiliary verb +
subject + main verb’.
3. _______ but also it filters out harmful rays.
Explanation: Sentences started with ‘Not only………but also’
adverbials are treated as inversions. The ‘inverted’ sentences follow the
structure: ‘auxiliary verb/do/did/does + subject +base form of the main verb’.
4. _______ have goods returned to us because they are faulty.
Explanation: If a sentence contains ‘Seldom’ at the beginning, it
is considered as an ‘inverted’ sentence. As per rules of inversion, the
auxiliary verb or do verb comes before the main verb and the subject remains in
the middle between the verbs.
5. Hardly _______ entered the office when he realized that he had
forgotten his wallet.
Explanation: Sentences with ‘Hardly’ at the beginning are known as
‘Inversion’. In this kind of sentence, the auxiliary verb comes before the
subject and the main verb follows the subject.
6. _______ did Jonathan realize that there was a danger.
Explanation: If ‘only after’ comes at the beginning of a sentence,
then the principal clause of the sentence will be in ‘Inversion’.
7. Complete the sentence: Only after the food has been dried or
canned_______.
Explanation: If ‘only after’ comes at the beginning of a sentence,
then the principal clause of the sentence will be an ‘Inversion’. The altered
sentence structure will be: auxiliary verb/do/did/does + subject +base form of
the main verb’.
8. _______ resigned, we would have been forced to sack him.
Explanation: This is an example of ‘Inversion with Conditional’.
For such ‘inverted’ sentence, the conditional ‘if’ is omitted from the sentence
and auxiliary verb comes at the beginning and past participle form of the main
verb goes after the subject.
9. Times have changed and so_______.
Explanation: When a statement is second by another person in the
same sentence, the second part of the sentence will be an inversion. The
structure for such ‘Inversion’ will be ‘so+ verb+ subject’.
10. He didn’t know the answer, and_______.
Explanation: Statement that needs to negate with one part with
another, ‘inverted sentence’ structure ‘either/neither’ is used. The structure
for sentence with ‘neither’ will be ‘Neither + auxiliary + subject’.
11. Mendes can’t type well, her sister_______.
Explanation: Statement that needs to negate with one part with
another, ‘inverted sentence’ structure ‘either/neither’ is used. The structure
for sentences with ‘either’ is ‘Subject + negative auxiliary + either’.
12. Sweet _______ the uses of adversity.
Explanation: If an adjective comes at the beginning of a sentence,
the sentence will be in Inversion. In this sentence, sweet is an adjective and
the subject is in plural form. So, are will be used instead of is.
13. Never _______ such a heinous crime.
Explanation: As per rules of Inversion of Verb, Never will always
be followed by the ‘verb’. And for ‘crime’, ‘commit’ will be used as the verb.
14. My friend doesn’t like fish and _______.
Explanation: Neither/either has many uses. This is an example of
Negative Agreement. The structure for such sentences: Negative statement + and
+ neither + positive auxiliary or be + subject.
15. Pioneer men and women endured terrible hardships, and _______.
Explanation: In English grammar, there are certain ways to repeat
the first idea with the same meaningful second one. ‘So…..do/did/does’ is one
of them and it incorporates with the ‘inversion’ structure of grammar. The
structure is ‘so+ verb+ subject’.
Transform
the following sentences:
1- ]You mustn't let the dog off its lead.
Under no circumstances
2- ]She had never been there.
At no time
3- ] I am hardly ever late for work.
Rarely
4- ]This is not acceptable.
In no way
Inversion
Exercise 1
Change the normal sentence into one with inversion. For example:
"We had hardly arrived when Julie burst into the house" becomes
"Hardly had we arrived when Julie burst into the house".
1) John had never been to such a fantastic restaurant.
2) I in no way want to be associated with this project.
3) They had no sooner eaten dinner than the ceiling crashed onto
the dining table.
4) I had scarcely finished writing my essay when the examiner
announced the end of the exam.
5) I seldom leave my house so early.
6) People rarely appreciate this musician's talent.
7) We would understand what had happened that night only later.
8) They had met such rude people nowhere before.
9) He understood little about the situation.
10) The children should on no account go on their own.
Change the normal sentence into one with inversion.
1. They had hardly started the meeting when the manager received a
message.
the meeting when the manager received a message.
2. She rarely allowed strangers to enter her house.
strangers to enter her house.
3. I have never witnessed such display of rage!
such display of rage!
4. One seldom realizes how short life is.
how short life is.
5. Thomas little knew what the future held in store for him.
what the future held in store for him.
6. Her brother not only paid her debt, but he also bought a new
house for her.
her debt, but he also bought a new house for her.
7. You should on no account provide any confidential information to
a stranger.
any confidential information to a stranger.
8. He understood only then what he had missed.
what he had missed.
9. He had no sooner resigned than he received a better job offer.
than he received a better job offer.
10. You seldom meet such friendly people.
such friendly people.
Choose the best inversion structure to complete each sentence.
1. _________ should children be allowed to drive.
no sooner
under no circumstances
rarely
only
3. _________ had I left than I heard them laughing.
no sooner
only when
4. Now _________ to escape and she jumped from the window.
was the time
the time was
5. Many a time _________ plan to divorce her husband, but she never
did.
she did
did she
6. Only _________ can we start the party.
when Jane has arrived
when has Jane arrived
7. _________ who borrowed the money.
Max it was
It was Max
8. What _________ is simply not true.
are you saying
you are saying
INVERSION
Gap-fill
Exercise
Complete the sentences below with the words in brackets in the
correct tense and the right order.
1. Not until June 15 (we/can/accept) applications for next year.
2. Never before that day (she/have/witnessed) such violence.
3. Hardly (the match/have/start) when the game was interrupted.
4. Not only (the girl/be/hungry) , she was also very tired.
5. Little (I/do/imagine)
that it was the last time I would see him.
6. Only later ((he/do/understand)
why his wife was so upset.
7. (He/have/know) it would
take so long he would not have started.
8. No sooner (her name/be/announce)
than the crowd started to cheer.
9. At no time (the salesman/do/say)
that the price would increase.
10. In no way (he/can/be/hold)
responsible for the damage.
Choose the most appropriate answer with inverted word order.
1. There ----------------- that he will agree to your plan.
hope is little
is hope little
is little hope
little hope is
2. The view of the canyon was breathtaking. Never before --------------
such beauty.
had seen we
had we seen
we had seen
we hadn't seen
3. --------------. See you tomorrow!
Comes here my bus
Here comes my bus
Here my bus comes
My bus comes here
4. We will probably go shopping in the afternoon. –-----------. Why
don't we go shopping together?
I will so
So I will
So will I
Will so I
5. ----------------- the truth, he wouldn't have invited them.
Had known he
Had he known
He had known
Known he had
6. She should have helped them. She wasn't busy at that time. – -------
. Why didn't you help them?
Neither were you
Neither you were
Were you neither
You were neither
7. No sooner-------------------- the receiver than the telephone
began to ring again.
down had I put
down had put I
had I put down
I had put down
8. Can you give me a pen, please? – Sure. ------------------ .
Here is it
Here it is
Is it here
It is here
9.------------------ so busy, we would go there with you.
Were we not
Weren't we
We were not
We weren't
10. Not only------------------ my car poorly, but they also overcharged
me.
did they repair
repair they did
they did repair
they didn't repair
Fill the gaps using the words in the box. ?
[ has ·
before · than
· audience ·
then · was started
· will ·
can · did
· so many ·
had ]
1. Hardly ever ---------------- an athlete won so many medals in
such a short time.
2.Little ----------------- we realize what a social faux-pas we had
committed.
3.Scarcely --------------- the match started when the trouble
began.
4.Only by standing on tip-toe --------------- I able to see
anything at all.
5.Seldom can an ------------ have heard a better interpretation of
this symphony.
6.Hardly had the controversial opera ---------------- when people
began to walk out.
7.Only if we leave now --------------- we be in time to catch the
train.
8.Never have I seen ----------------- people turn out for this
event.
9.Rarely---------------- a remark have been more ill-judged.
10.Only----------------- did it become clear what the extent of the
damage was.
11.Barely had we had time to pack up the picnic things-----------
the heavens opened
12.No sooner had we asked for a quieter room, ---------------- we
were given one.
Exercise
2
- Fill the gaps using the
words in the box. ?
[ else · way
· did ·
circumstances · nothing
· such nor ·
until · would
· account ·
only · even ]
1.At no time -------------------- he seem to realize what an idiot
he was making of himself.
2.At no time before have I heard------------------ arrant nonsense.
3.Nowhere --------------- do they charge you so much for water
4.On no ---------------- should you miss this once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.
5.Under no ---------------- must this door be left unlocked.
6.Not ---------------- she apologizes for what she said will I
speak to her again.
7.Not -------------------- if they halved the price would I buy
such a heap of old rubbish.
8.Not for all the money in the world----------------- I do what
you're suggesting.
9.Not ------------------- do I know you're wrong, but I can also
prove you're wrong.
10.Neither was the food up to standard ------------------ was the
service particularly good.
11.Everyone except me got soaked. Not for ----------------- do I
always carry an umbrella.
12.No----------------- am I going to jump into that icy cold water!
Practice
Exercises
Exercise 1
- Make inverted sentences from the
sentences given, using the words in brackets
1.You shouldn't tell him about my trip to China. (On no ...)
2.You are not going to get me to eat that! (No way ... !)
3.I have seldom seen such a brilliant goal. (Seldom ...)
4.Such a hurricane has rarely happened in Hereford. (Hardly ever
...)
5.I wouldn't want to hurt your feelings for all the world. (Not
...)
6.They were never aware of the danger that threatened them. (At no
time ...)
7.This must not leak out to the press. (Under ...)
8.He wasn't rich and he wasn't handsome. (Neither ...)
9.We haven't often witnessed such artistry. (Rarely ...)
10.The bridge collapsed as soon as we managed to get across. (No
sooner ...)
11.We were only able to cross the border by offering him a bribe.
(Only ...)
12.Immediately he opened his mouth he started complaining about
everything. (Barely ... before ...)
Exercise 2
- Make inverted sentences from the sentences given, using the words
in brackets
1.She has no idea what a surprise she's going to get. (Little ...
know)
2.The bell had barely started to ring when the children rushed out
of the classroom. (Scarcely)
3.He didn't start his speech until there was absolute silence in
the hall (Not ...)
4.We will only be able to accept your offer if we are offered free
delivery (Only ...)
5.It is with good reason that Edinburgh is known as the Athens of
the North (Not for ...)
6.We have never been so well wined and dined in our lives (Never
...)
7.She didn't break the news of her engagement until after dinner
(Only ...)
8.We weren't told that we would need our passports. (At no time
...)
9.They don't charge you as much for water anywhere else. (Nowhere
else ...)
10.I wouldn't fly with them again even if they offered me a free
flight. (Not even ...)
11.We had barely entered the shop when an assistant jumped on us.
(Hardly ... when ...)
12.He is both charming and very rich. (Not only ..., but ... also
...)
Q1 - No sooner ____ than I realized what was going on.
had I arrived
I had arrived
Q2 - Not until ...
had I got home, I remembered.
I had got home, I remembered.
I had got home, did I remember.
Q3 - Just as _____ leaving, the phone rang.
I was
was I
Q4 - Only by calling them every hour of the day _____ to get what I
wanted.
did I manage
I managed
Q5 - Since ____ known her, we've never argued.
I have
have I
Q6 - Seldom _____ seen such a mess.
I have
have I
Q7 - Only when ...
I phoned did I hear what had happened.
did I phone I heard what had happened.
I phoned I heard had what happened.
Q8 - So ____ said, so little done.
was much
much was
Q9 - So good ____ that he got the highest grade possible.
his marks were
were his marks
Q10 - Never ____ heard such an appalling speech.
I have
have I
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