INVERSION

EXPLANATION

Were he my brother … (If he were my brother…)

O benim kardeşim olsa…

Should you have any difficulty … (If you should have any
difficulty…)
Zorluk çekerseniz…

Were you to study harder… (If you were to study harder…)

Daha çok ders çalışsan…

Had I realized what you intended… (If I had realized what you
intended…)
Niyetini anlasaydım…

Had we not spent all the money… (If we had not spent all the money )
Bütün parayı harcamasaydık…

Never in all my life have I seen such a horrible thing.

Ben hayatımda böyle korkunç bir şey görmedim.

Scarcely had the game started when it began to rain.

Maçın başlamasıyla yağmurun başlaması bir oldu./Maç başlar başlamaz
yağmur yağmaya başladı.

Hardly had I started dinner when the guests arrived.

Tam yemeğe başlamıştım ki misafirler geldi./Yemeğe başlamamla
misafirlerin gelmesi bir oldu.

Rarely has a debate attracted so much media attention.

Medyanın böylesine ilgisini çeken bir tartışma pek olmamıştır.

Seldom have I seen such beauty.

Böyle güzellik az gördüm.

Little did he realize the danger he faced.

Karşı karşıya kaldığı tehlikenin pek farkında değildi.

No sooner had she said it than she burst into tears.

Onu söyler söylemez gözlerinden yaşlar boşandı./Onu söylemesiyle
gözlerinden yaşlar boşanması bir oldu.

Not until he received her letter did he fully understand the depth
of her feelings.
Onun mektubunu alıncaya kadar duygularının derinliğini tam olarak
anlamamıştı.

Under no circumstances should you lend Brian any money.

Her ne surette olursa olsun Brian’a borç para vermemelisin.

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Not a single word did he say.
Tek kelime etmedi.

Not only did he show me how to do it but (also) he helped me as

well.
Bana onun nasıl yapılacağını göstermekle kalmadı aynı zamanda yardım
da etti.

Only in Paris do you find bars like this.

Yalnızca Paris’te böyle barlar bulursun.

Only then did I understand what my father meant.

Babamın ne demek istediğini ancak o zaman anladım.

Only after his death was I able to appreciate him.

Ancak ölümünden sonra onun değerini anlayabildim.

Only if these conditions are fulfilled can the application proceed

to the next stage.
Ancak bu koşullar yerine getirilirse uygulama bir sonraki aşamaya
geçebilir.

Only now is my grandfather able to walk.

Dedem ancak şimdi yürüyebiliyor.

Only today did he learn the bad news.

Kara haberi daha bugün öğrendi.

Only from that experience could I discover the truth.

Ancak o deneyimden gerçeği öğrenebildim.

Only when I give you permission may you speak here.

Ben sana ancak izin verdiğimde burada konuşabilirsin.

Only by chance did I hear that he had left his home.

Evini terk ettiğini sadece tesadüfen duydum.

Only by working hard could I solve the problem.

Ancak çok çalışarak sorunu çözebildim.

On no account must cheques be written in pencil.

Çekler hiçbir surette kurşunkalemle yazılmamalı.

Nowhere could you find a better restaurant.

Başka hiçbir yerde daha iyi bir lokanta bulamazsınız.

At no time has there been a greater need for cooperation than right
now.
İşbirliğine şimdiden daha çok ihtiyaç duyulan başka bir zaman
olmamıştır.

No longer do I have to work in this stuffy office.

Bu boğucu ofiste artık çalışmak zorunda değilim.

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In no way did the injured man blame the driver.
Yaralı adam sürücüyü kesinlikle/hiçbir surette suçlamadı.

She was very religious, as were most of her friends.

Arkadaşlarının çoğu gibi o da çok dindardı.

People living in cities have a higher death rate than do country

people.
Şehirlerde yaşayan insanların ölüm oranı kırsal kesimde
yaşayanlardan daha yüksektir.

So difficult was the exam that few of the students passed it.
Sınav o kadar zordu ki öğrencilerin çok azı geçti.

Down the street walked the gunman.

Silahlı adam caddeden yürüdü./Caddeden yürüdü silahlı adam.

On the other side of the river stood a small cottage.

Nehrin diğer tarafında küçük bir kulübe vardı.

Under a tree was lying an old man.

Bir ağacın altında yaşlı bir adam yatıyordu.

On the grass sat an enormous frog.

Çimenlerin üstünde koskocaman bir kurbağa duruyordu.

Directly in front of us stood a beautiful church.

Tam önümüzde güzel bir kilise duruyordu.

Here comes the bus.

İşte otobüs geliyor.

There goes your sister.

Bak kızkardeşin gidiyor.

‘Where were you?’ asked John.

‘Neredeydin?’ diye sordu John.

‘Let’s have breakfast’ said Sally.

‘Kahvaltı edelim’ dedi Sally.
‘Let’s have breakfast’ she said. (said she denmez)

Peter: I don’t like cats. (Kedi sevmem.)

Jack: Neither/Nor do I. (Ben de.)

Times have changed and so have I.

Zaman da değişti ben de (değiştim).

Mark doesn’t like my friends and nor does Jeff.

Mark arkadaşlarımı sevmez, Jeff de (sevmez).

You mustn’t drive too fast. Nor must you drive when you are drunk.
Çok hızlı araba kullanmamalısın. Alkollü iken de araba
kullanmamalısın.

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‘I am from Turkey.’
‘So am I.’ (= I am from Turkey, too.’ )

‘I don’t like snakes.’

Neither do I./ Nor do I./ I don’t like snakes, either.

Elephants can’t swim in the water, neither can camels.

(Filler suda yüzemez, develer de yüzemez)

John draws very well, so do I.

(John çok iyi çizebilir, ben de)

‘We worked very hard last week.’ ‘So did we.’

(Geçen hafta çok sıkı çalıştık. Biz de öyle)

Sally didn’t come yesterday and neither did his sister.

(Sally dün gelmedi kardeşi de gelmedi)

John has been on plane quite a few times. So have I.

(John çok kere uçağa bindi. Ben de öyle)

“I won’t go out tonight.” “Neither will I.”

(Bu gece dışarı çıkmayacağım. Ben de öyle)

1-YARDIMCI FİİL + ÖZNE + ANA FİİL

2- SADECE “BE” FİİLİ + ÖZNE

PRACTICE

On the table was all the money we had lost.

All the money we had lost was on the table.

Round the corner did the knights come.

Round the corner came the knights
The knights came round the corner

So beautiful was the girl that nobody could talk of anything else.
The girl was so beautiful that nobody could talk of anything else.

So delicious was the food that we ate every last bite.

The food was so delicious that we ate every last bite.

Had I been there, this problem wouldn't have happened.

If I had been there, this problem wouldn't have happened.

Had we arrived sooner, we could have prevented this tragedy!

If we had arrived sooner, we could have prevented this tragedy!

Never do I sleep.
I never sleep.

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Only at night can I study.
I can study only at night.

In no way could I help you with your Japanese grammar question.

I could not help you with your Japanese grammar question in any way

I believe that only rarely will I need your help.

I believe that I will only rarely need your help.

Not until I got home did I realize that my shoes were untied.
I did not realize that my shoes were untied until I got home

Into the room did the lady run.

Into the room ran the lady.
The lady ran into the room.

First does love come, then does marriage come.

First comes love, then comes marriage.
Love comes first, marriage comes then.

After A comes B, then comes C, next comes D.

B comes after A, C comes then, D comes next.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

The rain came down and washed the spider out.

Found in San Francisco is Lombard Street, the so-called crookedest

street in the world.
Lombard Street, the so-called crookedest street in the World, is
found in San Francisco

Lost among the old tables and chairs was the priceless Victorian
desk.
The priceless Victorian desk was lost among the old tables and
chairs.
Located between San Francisco and Marin County is the Golden Gate
Bridge.
The Golden Gate Bridge is located between San Francisco and Marin
County

Cheetahs run faster than do antelopes.

Cheetahs run faster than antelopes (run)/(do).

You speak Chinese better than do I.

You speak Chinese better than I (speak)/(do)

Jessica is more interested in Computer Science than is Benjamin.

Jessica is more interested in Computer Science than Benjamin (is)

Bigger than an apatosaur is the blue whale.

The blue whale is bigger than an Apatosaur

More important than your personal statement is your GPA.

Your GPA is more important than your personal statement.
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No less impressive than the invention of the laser was the
development of the wheel.
The development of the wheel was no less impressive than the
invention of the laser

Megumi is from Japan, as is Sato.

Megumi is from Japan as Sato
Megumi is from Japan and Sato is from Japan, too

Soeun wants to leave early today, as does Oi.

Soeun wants to leave early today as Oi
Soeun wants to leave early today and Oi wants to leave early today,
too

If thrown into the water, camels can swim, as can cats.

If thrown into the water, camels can swim as cats can (swim)

So happy was I that I bought flowers for everybody in class.

I was so happy that I bought flowers for everybody in class

So quickly did she leave that we did not even realize was gone.
She left so quickly that we did not even realize was gone.

So rarely does a comet appear visible to the naked eye that when one
does, it is considered a major event.
A comet so rarely appears visible to the naked eye that when one
does, it is considered a major event.

Had I remembered Tomomi's birthday, she wouldn’t be mad at me now.

If I had remembered Tomomi's birthday, she wouldn’t be mad at me
now.

Should you need a hand, I will be more than happy to help you.
If you (should) need a hand, I will be more than happy to help you.

Were I you, I think I would study more for your exam tomorrow.
If I were you, I think I would study more for your exam tomorrow.

There comes a time in every person’s life when she realizes that she
is responsible for her own happiness, not other people.
In every person’s life, a time when she realizes that she is
responsible for her own happiness, not other people comes

Little does Luke know that the GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly begun
construction.
Luke does not know that the GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly begun
construction

Little did they know about me.

They did not know about me

Scientists hypothesize that there exists a certain type of particle

that can travel faster than the speed of light.
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Scientists hypothesize that a certain type of particle that can
travel faster than the speed of light exists

Here is some good food for you to try.

Some good food for you to try is here

Here are the books that I don’t need anymore.

The books that I don’t need anymore are here

Here comes the bus! (İşte, otobüs geliyor)

The bus comes, here

Burning out of control was the forest located in the foothills of

the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The forest located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains
was burning out of control

Coming in last in the race was Joe "Elephant Legs" Blow.

Joe "Elephant Legs" Blow was coming in last in the race

Not helping the situation was little Susie, who was throwing
newspaper on the spreading fire.
Little Susie, who was throwing newspaper on the spreading fire, was
not helping the situation.

Boy am I hungry.
Boy, I am hungry.

The closer an object is to another object, the greater is the

gravity between the two objects.
(Bir cisim başka bir cisme ne kadar yakınsa, iki cisim arasındaki
yerçekimi o kadar fazladır.)
The gravity between the two objects is greater if an object is
closer to another object

The more Hasan reads and listens, the more he learns

Hasan ne kadar çok okur ve dinlerse, o kadar çok öğrenir

No one has volunteered for the job, nor do we expect anyone to

volunteer in the future.

Hok-ming cannot speak Portuguese, nor can José speak Cantonese.

The zoo regulations will not permit you to touch the animals, nor
would most people advise you to do so.

Ayşe swims well. “So do I.”

Ayşe can swim well. “So can Terry.”

I do not write codes. “Neither do most people I know.”

Beautiful beyond belief was my baby daughter.

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Happy about their acceptance into their dream schools were Lany and
Tomo.

Quick and painless will be your medical procedure.

Hardly had I got into bed when the telephone rang.

I had hardly got into bed when the telephone rang.

Never had she seen such a beautiful sight before.

She had never seen such a beautiful sight before.

Had I remembered Tomomi's birthday, she wouldn’t be mad at me now.

If I had remembered Tomomi's birthday, she wouldn’t be mad at me
now.

Seldom do we see such an amazing display of dance.

We seldom see such an amazing display of dance.

Rarely will you hear such beautiful music.

You will rarely hear such beautiful music.

Only then did I understand why the tragedy had happened.

I understood why the tragedy had happened only then.

Not only does he love chocolate and sweets but he also smokes.
He not only loves chocolate and sweets but he also smokes.

“NO SOONER …THAN” structure

No sooner had we arrived home than the police rang the doorbell.
We arrived home as soon as the police rang the doorbell.

Scarcely had I got off the bus when it crashed into the back of a
car.
Zar sor

Only later did she really think about the situation.

Nowhere have I ever had such bad service.

I have not ever had such bad service anywhere.

Only in this way could John earn enough money to survive.

In no way do I agree with what you're saying.

On no account should you do anything without asking me first.

Asla

Alex went to the club, and so did his brother.

Alex went to the club, and his brother 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.

Russel is not a footballer, and Alex isn’t either.

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In no way should we accept their offer.

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.

never

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.

Hardly had I reached there, he left.

Not

Seldom does the teacher finishes his class early.

Rarely does Alex forget to do his task

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.

Into the room came she when I was sleeping.

Behind me cries a child.

Over the table hangs a painting.

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.

If you (should) go there, I will go with you.
Olur da gidersen oraya,

Not only do I enjoy classical music, but I also have a season ticket
to the symphony.

Seldom has the boss been so upset!

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So difficult has science became that only specialists can fathom its
complexities.
Science has became so difficult that only specialists can fathom its
complexities.

Never have I been more insulted!

Seldom has he seen anything stranger.

Rarely has someone been so wrong as you.

Scarcely had I got out of bed when the doorbell rang.

No sooner had he finished dinner than she walked in the door.

He had finished dinner as soon as she walked in the door
No sooner …than = as soon as

Barely had I walked in the door when my dog came rushing to greet
me.
Almost not

Only then did I understand the problem.

Only after understanding the situation does the teacher make a

comment.

Only when all the stars have gone out will I grasp the complexity of
the universe.

Little did he understand the situation.

Not

He did not understand the situation

Little have I read concerning nanotechnology.

Little was I aware that she was in town.

So strange was the situation that I couldn't sleep.

So difficult is the test that students need three months to prepare.

So expensive was the ticket that we couldn't attend the show.

Such is the moment that all greats traverse.

Such is the stuff of dreams.

Such are the days of our lives.

Had he understood the problem, he wouldn't have committed those

mistakes.

Should he decide to come, please telephone me.

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Had I known, I would have helped him.

Not until I saw John with my own eyes did I really believe he was
safe.

Not since Lucy left college had she had such a wonderful time.

Only after I'd seen her flat did I understand why she wanted to live
there.

Only when we'd all arrived home did I feel calm.

Only by working extremely hard could we afford to eat.

Away flew the birds.

The birds flew away.

Down went the cat.

The cat went down

Out rushed the students from the school.

The door opened and in came the school director.

The door opened and the school director came in.

Off ran the people to the building.

The people ran off to the building.
QUIZ

Rewrite the following sentences using the cue and inversion.

1. I haven't ever felt so lonely. (never)

Never have I felt so lonely

2. I couldn't work because of the loud noise. (so)

So loud was the noise that I couldn't work.

3. She didn't play a lot of basketball. (little)

Little did she play a lot of basketball

4. Peter didn't understand the situation. If he had, he would have

quit. (had)
Had Peter understood the situation, he would have quit.

5. The story hasn't been told correctly. (rarely)

Rarely has the story been told correctly.

6. She bought the car after he had explained its benefits. (only
after)
Only after he had explained its benefits, she bought the car.
Only after he had explained its benefits did she buy the car.

7. I don't eat fish very often. (seldom)

Seldom do I eat fish.

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 8. I would have bought a new house if I had had enough money.
(had)
Had I had enough money, I would have bought a new house.

9. I will sign the check when you finish the work. (only then)
Only after you finish the work will I sign the check
Only then will I sign the check.

10. It was a day that we will all remember forever. (such)

Such was the day that we will all remember forever.

Inversion Exercise

Change the sentences so that they use inversion. For example:

We had hardly arrived when Julie burst into the house. → 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.
____________________________________________________________________
____

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Answers
1. Never had John been to such a fantastic restaurant.
2. In no way do I want to be associated with this project.
3. No sooner had they eaten dinner than the ceiling crashed onto the
dining table.
4. Scarcely had I finished writing my essay when the examiner
announced the end of the exam.
5. Seldom do I leave my house so early.
6. Rarely do people appreciate this musician's talent.
7. Only later would we understand what had happened that night.
8. Nowhere had they met such rude people before.
9. Little (not) did he understand about the situation.
10. On no account should the children go on their own.

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