Advanced Grammar for IELTS: Emphatic

Structures and Inversion – Diagnostic

Test, Grammar Explanation & Practice
Exercises
Diagnostic Test: Emphatic Structures and Inversion
Make the sentences more emphatic by rewriting them, beginning
with the word(s) in brackets.

Example:

 They are doing something quite unprecedented. (What)

 => What they are doing is quite unprecedented

1. The shellfish made Jasmine sick. (It was)

2. Greg lost the office keys. (It)
3. He’s approaching the problem from an entirely new
angle. (What)
4. They’ve done something unforgivable. (What)
5. I came by bus because my car has broken down. (The
reason)
6. A second chance is the only thing I want. (All)
7. The guy who told me about the new club was Zack. (Zack)
8. We have to leave our bags and coats here. (This)
9. They told me the same thing. (That’s)
10. He’s very unlucky in love! (Lucky)
11. The firefighters were unable to enter the building because
the heat was so intense. (So)
12. A parking ticket was stuck to my windscreen. (Stuck)
13. Although they were defeated they managed to keep
smiling. (Defeated)
14. The midnight movie is after this. (Next)
15. The government has hardly ever suffered such an
overwhelming defeat. (Seldom)
16. As soon as we arrived they announced that the show was
cancelled. (No sooner)
17. Refunds cannot be given under any
circumstances. (Under)
 Grammar Explanation: Emphatic Structures and
Inversion
We often emphasise a particular part of a sentence, perhaps to
contradict what someone else has said or for dramatic effect. While
speaking, we can do this with stress and intonation alone, but we
can also do this by changing the position of elements in a sentence
in speech and writing. In this unit, we look at how we can
manipulate grammar to emphasise something by splitting one
sentence into two parts (cleft sentences) or bringing the element we
want to emphasise to the beginning (fronting).

Cleft Sentences

Form and Use

‘Cleft’ means divided. In a cleft sentence, information which

could be given in one clause is divided into two parts, each
with its own verb:

 Vanessa has made the greatest impact. (normal sentence: single

clause, one verb)
 It is Vanessa who has made the greatest impact. (cleft sentence:
two clauses, two verbs)

This gives extra emphasis to part of the sentence. We often

use this pattern to emphasise some piece of new
information, to give explanations or to make a contrast with
a previous statement (the emphasised information is
in bold):

 All of the Redgrave family are gifted actors. But it is Vanessa who
made the greatest impact in the world of feature films.
 ‘I remember your uncle taking us to the fair.’ ‘No, it was my
father that took us there.’

It cleft Sentences

It cleft sentences have this structure:

it + a form of be (+ not and/or adverb) + emphasised

word/phrase + that /which/ who clause
 It isn’t just his outlandish sense of humour that I’m complaining
about

We can use this pattern to emphasise the subject or the object of a

simple sentence, or an adverbial phrase, or a prepositional phrase:

 Mike took Sally to the party on

Sentence Saturday.

 It was Mike who took Sally to the

Emphasising the subject party on Saturday.

 It was Sally (that) Mike took to the

Emphasising the object party on Saturday.

 It was on Saturday (that) Mike too

Emphasising the adverbial Sally to the party

 It was to the party (that) Mike took

Emphasising the prepositional
phrase Sally on Saturday.

In informal English, we can use when and where clauses, but

we do not use how or why:

 It was in January when I got the test results.

 It’s in Green Street market where we’ll find the best bargains.

X It was greed why he did it. ✓ It was

because of greed that he did it

X It is using a calculator how he does it. ✓ It is by using a

calculator that he does it

Note: We cannot use it clefts to highlight the action or a

verb complement in a sentence. We use wh- clefts to do this:
 X It was taking Sally to the party that Mike did. ✓ What
Mike did was take Sally

X It is totally unscrupulous that they are. ✓ What

they are is unscrupulous

Wh- cleft Sentences

We can use this pattern to highlight the action in a sentence. For

example, if we want to highlight Mike’s action of taking Sally to the
party:

wh- clause + a form of be + emphasised word or phrase

 What Mike did was take Sally to the party

In these sentences what means the thing(s) that. The wh- clause
must contain a verb. To highlight the action we use a form of do in
the wh- clause. The highlighted phrase usually contains a bare
infinitive (example above) or to + infinitive:

 What Mike did was to take Sally to the party.

If the highlighted verb is in the continuous or perfect, the

form of do matches it:

 The boys aren’t leaving Sandy at home. They are taking him to the
match.
 => What the boys are doing is taking Sandy to the match
 Old members are absent but the new members have taken their
seats in the assembly.
 => What the new members have done is taken their seats in the
assembly

We can also use wh- clefts to highlight a verb complement. For

example, if we want to highlight the complement stingy in the
sentence Jean and Bob are stingy, we can say:

wh-clause + is + emphasised complement

 What Jean and Bob are is stingy!

 We use this pattern most often when we want to express our
opinion of something or somebody using an adjective:

 ‘Do you think Jean and Bob are a bit cautious with their money?’
 ‘Cautious? What they are is downright stingy!’

Other Types of a Cleft Sentence

We can use wh- clauses with when, where, why and who to highlight
a person, a place, a time and a reason, but we usually use an
introductory noun phrase (underlined below). The wh- clause acts
like an ordinary relative clause:

X Who we forgot to invite was Ian. ✓ The one (who)

we forgot to invite was Ian

 The guy who told me about the new

Person club was Zack.

The house where I used to live is ne

Place here.

 The day (when) we left was the

Time saddest day of my life.

The reason (why) they never told m

Reason is they don’t trust me.

We can emphasise an item (described by a noun phrase or a

verb phrase) with the (only/ last) thing or all:

 The thing I most disliked about the movie was the scene in the
graveyard
 The only thing we want is a chance to air our grievances.
 The last thing we did was pack the kettle.
 All we’re asking for is to be given a chance
 We can also use the (only) thing with a negative verb:

 The thing we won’t do is repair goods bought in other shops.

 The only thing we didn’t find was the key to the cellar.

Reversed Cleft Sentences

We can reverse the order of the parts in wh- cleft sentences

and put the emphasised part at the beginning:

 Taking Sandy to the match is what the boys are doing.

 Zack was the guy who told me about the new club.

There is a form in spoken English similar to a reversed cleft

using this and that:

 We have to get off here => This is where we have to get off.
 They told me the same thing => That’s what they told me.

Fronting

Fronting Objects and Complements

In spoken English, we sometimes want to make a strong

contrast with something in a previous statement. We can do
this with objects and complements by ‘fronting’ them
(moving them to the front of the clause), which makes them
more emphatic:

 ‘She’s such a lovely person; so friendly and reliable.’

 ‘She may be friendly but she isn’t reliable.’ => Friendly she may
be, but reliable she isn’t!’

We can also front demonstrative pronouns for emphasis:

 I disagree with that. => That I disagree with.

We can use fronting to help the flow of spoken or written

information by putting the known information at the beginning of
the sentence:
 The house was large and sprawling, with two wings and a dark attic.
Hilary spent most of her time in the drawing-room or the
garden. The attic she rarely visited.

We can emphasise an adjective by using so + adjective + a form

of be + subject + a that clause:

 So intense was the heat (that) the firefighters were unable to enter
the building for two hours.

Fronting Adverbials and Infinitives; as and though

We can put known information at the beginning of a sentence by

putting adverbial phrases describing position or place (e.g. At the
back of the house), verbs of position and movement (e.g. stand,
attach, lie) and to + infinitive forms in the front position, with
inversion of the subject and the verb be:

 At the back of the house was an untidy garden, much of which

was taken up by a large and unkempt lawn. Standing in the
corner of the garden was a massively overgrown silver birch tree
which towered over the roof of the garage. Attached to the
roof was an unsightly FM aerial.
 For years I have been writing to the President in the White
House. To meet him is my most fervent wish.

We can also front an infinitive form when it ‘echoes’ an earlier verb:

 He said he would arrive on time.

 And he did (arrive on time).
 => And arrive on time he did.

We can front verbs and adjectives using as and though:

 Battered though he was, he never lost his will to succeed.

 Try as she might, she simply couldn’t open the jam jar.

Inversion

Subject-verb Inversion

We sometimes put a verb or verb phrase in front of the

subject after adverbs of place (e.g., on, in, here, there,
 outside, opposite) and adverbs of time (e.g., next, then,
first, now, finally). We can use a form of be or verbs of place
and movement (e.g., stand, sit, lie, come, go, climb, run.
sail, fly) before the subject. We often use this pattern to form a
link with the information in the previous sentence, and it is common
in formal English:

 Here lies the body of our late lamented

Place adverbs + be or
sovereign.
verbs of
place/movement  On one wall there was a beautiful rambling
rose. Opposite stood an ancient oak tree
over a charming wishing well.

For the first hour, the teams seemed evenly


Time adverbs + be or matched. Then came the turning point in th
verbs of place/movement game as Ed scored.
 That was the final instalment. Next is the
news.

Note: We don’t use inversion if the subject of the clause is a

pronoun:

 Here comes the bus.

 X Here comes it ✓ Here it comes.

We can also use inversion in “as” and “than” clauses in formal

English:

 Mr Slater is expecting a pay rise, as are several other salesmen in

the team.
 I’m afraid her proposals are no more feasible than are those James
presented.

We also use inversion in certain fixed expressions, often with

subjunctives :

 So be it.
 Long live the king!

Subject-auxiliary Inversion

We sometimes put an auxiliary (do. have, should, can, etc.) before

the subject in statements; the rest of the verb phrase follows the
subject. We use this pattern of inversion for emphasis in the
following cases:

after adverbs with

 Little did we realise the true extent of
‘restrictive’/
his involvement.
negative meaning  Never have I seen such a disturbing

(e.g. hardly, sight.

Hardly had I arrived when Suzy collared
scarcely, rarely, me.
little, never)

 Only later did he manage to get

only + time
expression or permission.
 Only with a great deal of effort was he
prepositional phrase able to escape.

(in) no way, at no  No way am I going to wear that!

time, (informal)
 under no Under no circumstances can refunds be
circumstances, given.

on no account

 Not only is he late, he hasn’t even

brought a present.
not + only/ time  Not since the sixties has a pop group
expression/ person or won such acclaim.
thing  Not a single stone was left unturned in
the search.

No sooner had we set out than the skies

no sooner … than opened.

 They have no intention of paying and

clauses beginning
with neither have we.
We couldn’t face the customers and nor
neither or nor could the boss.

clauses beginning
with may  May he live to regret this decision!
 May his soul rest in peace!
which describe a
strong wish

after fronted  The captain is refusing to play under

comparisons these conditions and so is the rest of
the team.
also, such and so

Note: Expressions with no, not, etc. not listed above (e.g. no doubt)
cannot be inverted:

X No doubt will he give us a key. ✓ No doubt he will give us

a key.
 Note: We do not invert the subject and auxiliary after only if there
is no time expression or prepositional phrase immediately after it:

X Only can members park there.

✓ Only members can park there.

✓ Only on Sundays can members park there.

Practice Exercise
Q 1.

Read the information in the box then complete the replies. Each
reply must contain a cleft sentence. The exercise begins with an
example (0).

Nick turned up late for work on Monday because he got stuck in a

traffic jam on the ring road. Luckily Nick has a mobile phone so he
was able to phone his boss and warn her that he would be late. She
was furious but managed to reschedule an important meeting for
the afternoon.

 (0) ‘Didn’t the boss turn up late on Monday?’

 ‘No, it…was Nick who turned up……late on Monday.’
 ‘Nick was late because he overslept, wasn’t he?’

1. ‘No, it____that he was late.’

 ‘How on earth did Nick let the boss know he’d be late?’

2. ‘Well, what ____call her from his mobile phone.’

 ‘Wasn’t Nick late on Wednesday?’

3. ‘No, ____that he was late.’

 ‘Nick’s boss had to start the meeting without him. didn’t she?’

4. ‘No, what she ____the afternoon.’

 ‘Didn’t Nick get stuck in a traffic jam in the town centre?’

5. ‘No, not the town centre; it ____ got stuck.’

 ‘Didn’t the boss have to reschedule that meeting because the client
didn’t turn up?’

6. ‘No, it _____ had to reschedule the meeting.’

 ‘Nick rang the boss to give her the sales figures, didn’t he?’

7. ‘No, it _____that he rang her.’

 I heard the boss was a little annoyed with Nick for being late.

9. ‘No, she wasn’t “a little annoyed”. What ____!’

Q 2.

For each of the sentences below, write a new sentence as similar as

possible in meaning to original sentence, but using the words given
in bold.

 (0) Sebastian left the job because of the long working hours.
 why–The reason why Sebastian left the job was the long working
hours.
 We have to wait here.

1. this

 We just need five minutes to fix it.

2. all

 Jennifer started the strike.

3. person

 I’m not questioning his dedication.

4. isn’t .

 These men are totally ruthless.

 5. what

 I used to live around the corner.

6. the place

 It was your next-door neighbour who complained.

7. the one

 We inherited everything except the house.

8. only thing

 You know the sales assistant told me exactly the same thing.

9. that’s

 I want you to copy this down in your notebooks.

10. to do

 First of all, we checked the insurance details.

11. first thing

 The climbers reached the peak at six o’clock.

12. was

 We’re taking the au-pair with us.

13. doing

 Before leaving we switched off the power supply.

14. last thing

 They moved to Andalucía because of the climate.

15. reason .

 The company has imposed a ban on private e-mails.

16. has done

 The only thing we want is our money back.

17. all

 Our boss told us the news.

18. it

 I want you to appreciate that it’s not my fault.

19. what

 The introduction of stamp duties led to the loss of the American

colonies,

20. that

Q 3.

Make these sentences more emphatic by ‘fronting’ part of them. Do

not use any additional words.

 (0) I can’t stand hypocrisy. => Hypocrisy I can’t stand!

1. Though he was exhausted, he managed to reach the finishing

line.
2. My life’s ambition is to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.
3. The ninth symphony is his most sublime work.
4. I really can’t accept that proposal.
5. An enormous gold Buddha was placed on the altar.
6. The Cresta Run is much more challenging for the dedicated
skier.
7. Several sharp criticisms of ministerial conduct were also
included in the report.
8. An old man was lying in the shop doorway.
9. It proved impossible to get to the bottom of the mystery.
10. The pilot couldn’t regain control because the damage was
so severe.

Q 4.
In twelve of the following sentences, there are mistakes with word
order and missing auxiliaries. Tick (✓) the correct sentences and
then find the mistakes and correct them.

1. They’re going to complain about this and so are we.

2. Little we knew the full extent of his involvement in the fraud.
3. The sales director is resigning and so most of the marketing
team are.
4. I tried to get there by nine, only was there a traffic jam on the
motorway.
5. Over there stood the three-metre tall statue of Lenin.
6. The embassy refuses to intervene. Well, so it be.
7. Tomorrow the first day is of the rest of your life.
8. Long live the glorious republic!
9. No way is the boss treating me like that and getting away with
it!
10. Under no circumstances, latecomers will be admitted to
the auditorium.
11. Armando and Josepha are quite destitute and such the
condition is of many of the refugees.
12. Now the time is for wise investors to think seriously about
buying Treasury Bonds.
13. Rarely had we encountered such friendly and positive
attitudes.
14. Oh look – here comes the procession at last.
15. Not since Kubrick’s 2001 a director has made such an
intellectually challenging sci-fi movie.
16. The government’s proposals are unrealistic, as those are
of the opposition.
17. Opposite this house ran the old city walls.
18. Only with the greatest of luck, he managed to escape
from the rising floodwaters.
19. May John and Carol have a long and happy life together.
20. No doubt didn’t he realise the consequences of his
actions.

Q 5.

Rewrite the replies in these mini-dialogues to make them more

emphatic by using suitable structures (cleft sentences, fronting or
 inversion) to emphasise the underlined items. The exercise begins
with two examples (0) and (00).

 (0) ‘That dress looks expensive.’

 ‘No, the shoes were expensive, not the dress.’ => ‘No, it’s the
shoes that were expensive, not the dress’.
 (00) ’Did Darren help you with the decorating?’
 ‘No, he did the wallpapering, nothing else.’ => ‘No, the only thing
he did was the wallpapering’

 ‘Jerry says Liz is going to quit her job at the bank.’

‘1. I find that really hard to believe.’

 ‘You look as though you’re destroying that rose bush.’

2. ‘No, I’m just cutting off the dead flower heads.’

 ‘Are you sure you brought everything with you?’

3. We left the personal stereo behind, that’s all.’

 ‘Didn’t you own a Volkswagen Golf once?’

4. ‘No, my brother owned one.’

 ‘He said the speech would shake them up a bit.’

5. ‘And it certainly did shake them up.’

 ‘I thought the car chase and the scene in the airport were brilliant.’

6. ‘But the explosion on the jumbo jet was best of all.’

 ‘I think we should try to give them first aid.’

7. ‘No, we should wait for the ambulance to arrive.’

 ‘So what was so awful about the view from your hotel room?’

8. ‘Well, a huge electricity pylon was standing right outside the

bedroom window.’
 ‘You’ve always wanted to buy a cottage in the country, haven’t
you?’

9. ‘Yes, my greatest ambition has always been to own a cottage.’

 ‘You’re all leaving on Saturday, aren’t you?’

10. ‘No, we’re going on Friday.’

Q 6.

In the following magazine article ten emphatic sentences have been

changed and underlined. Rewrite the sentences in their original
emphatic form using the clues in brackets. The first one has been
done as an example (0).

RAP JUMPING?

NO WAY, JOSÉ!

I’m quite sporty and I love a new challenge, especially if it’s a little
bit risky. I often try out new things with my friends Tony and Bruce.
(0) In fact, Bruce told me about his new hobby – rap jumping.
(1) I’ve done bungee jumping before – that’s the sport where you
jump off a crane or bridge with your feet attached to a long length
of elastic – so I had some idea what he was talking about. Bruce
promised me that (2) rap jumping was more exciting and a lot more
dangerous than bungee jumping, and (31 he didn’t tell me too much
about it to keep me in suspense. So, of course, I was dying it give it
a go.

(4) But Tony actually took me for mv first rap jump. (5) He’s the real
daredevil. We went to the top of this tall building which had a sort of
gantry overhanging the edge. (6) I could see a rope and a harness
hanging from the gantry.

‘Oh, I understand,’ I said to Tony, ‘I get into the harness and then
lean back over the edge and lower myself down – it’s like abseiling.’

‘No, no,’ said Tony, ‘(7) You lean forward and walk down.’

I began to feel a little sick. I don’t normally suffer from a fear of

heights because I avoid it by looking up or sideways. (8) I can’t cope
with seeing the ground. The idea of going over the edge facing
downwards was just too much for me. ‘(9) I’m not doing that.‘ I
announced.

Well, would you have done it?

(0) (it) => In fact, it was Bruce who told me about his new
hobby.

1. (fronting)

2. (not only)

3. (fronting)

4. (it)

5. (the one)

6. (all)

7. (What)

8. (It’s)

9. (No way)