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Inversion

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21 views1 page

Inversion

Uploaded by

olexa h
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Inversion happens in English for emphasis, dramatic purpose or formality.

To invert a sentence move the adverbial to the beginning of the sentence and invert the
subject and auxiliary verb.
Never, No sooner, No longer, Nowhere, Not often, Not always, Not only, Seldom, Rarely,
Hardly ever/anywhere, Not until/Not before, Only when, Only if.
‘I had never met someone so interesting.’ becomes ‘Never had I met someone so
interesting.’
'He won't often go to work.' becomes 'Not often will he go to work'

In cases where the tense does not use an auxiliary verb in the affirmative, such as the
present simple or the past simple, one must be added.

Present Simple:
‘I rarely go outside.’ becomes ‘Rarely do I go outside.’
'They don't ever know what to do' becomes 'Never do they know what to do.'

Past Simple:
‘She seldom worked very hard.’ becomes ‘Seldom did she work very hard.’
'We never went to the shopping centre.' becomes 'At no time did we go to the shopping
centre.'
‘Not until I saw what had happened did I know what to do.’
'Hardly' puts the inversion in the adverbial clause. It uses 'than' and 'when' to connect with
the main clause.

‘Hardly had I got home than the dog started barking.’


'Hardly had he got into the bath when the phone rang.’
‘Little did they know that he had stolen all of their money.’ (They didn't know he had stolen all
of their money)
'Little did he know that they would never meet again.'
Notice that Not until/before, only when/if are followed by inversion in the second part of the
sentence
Not until it grew dark, did they stop searching for the missing dog.
Exercise:
1. John had never been to such a fantastic restaurant.
2. They had no sooner eaten dinner than the ceiling crashed onto the dining table.
3. I in no way want to be associated with this project.
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.

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