Inversion structure
Standard word order in
English declarative sentences is first the subject, then the verb.
This story is rather long.
She has found her keys.
Changing standard word order
is called "inversion" (inverted word order; inverse word order).
Inversion in English usually refers to placing
the auxiliary, modal, or main verb before the subject.
Inversion is used with a certain aim, often for emphasis.
Inversion structure: Not
only/ hardly....+ V + S + O, clause.
Not only is seismology
used to determine the depth of the ocean floor, but it is also used to
locate oil.
Never before have I seen such
beauty.
Inversion in questions:
The most common type of inversion in English
consists in moving the auxiliary verb into the position before the subject.
This type of inversion is most often used in questions.
Did Lena go to the park
yesterday?
Has she found her keys?
Will he come to the party?
Is this story long?
How long is this story?
Construction "there is, there are"
Inversion
is required in the construction "there is, there are" and in cases
where a modal verb or a main verb is used in such constructions.
There is an interesting
article about Spain in today's paper.
There are several books on
the table.
There must be a reason for
it.
There can be no doubt about
it.
There exist several theories
on this matter.
Once upon a time, there lived
an old man in a small house by the sea.
Mother Nature is there to
trip you up.
Inversion after "here" and "there"
Some phrases beginning with
"here" or "there" have idiomatic character.
Here is the book you asked
for. Here comes the sun.
Here comes my bus. Here comes
your friend.
There is my sister! There
goes the bell. There goes my money!
If the
subject of the sentence beginning with "here" or "there" is
expressed by a personal pronoun, the verb is placed after the subject.
Here it is. Here you are.
Here you go. There you are. There you go.
Here he comes. There he goes.
Here I am. There she is. Here we go again.
Inversion
is required in the subordinate clause of conditional sentences in which the
subordinating conjunction "if" is omitted. If the conjunction
"if" is used, inversion is not used. Compare these conditional
sentences in which inverted word order and standard word order are used.
Should my son call, ask him
to wait for me at home. – If my son should call, ask him to wait for me at
home. If my son calls, ask him to wait for me at home.
Were I not so tired, I would
go there with you. – If I weren't so tired, I would go there with you.
Had I known it, I would have
helped him. – If I had known it, I would have helped him.
Inversion in exclamatory sentences
Inversion is sometimes used for emphasis in
exclamatory sentences. Compare inverted and standard word order in the
following exclamatory sentences.
Oh boy, was she mad! – She
was so mad!
Have we got a surprise for
you! – We've got a surprise for you!
How beautiful are these
roses! – How beautiful these roses are!
Inversion after direct speech
Inversion takes place in constructions with
verbs like "said, asked, and replied" placed after direct speech.
"I'll help you," said
George.
"What's the
problem?" asked the driver.
"I lost my purse,"
replied the woman.
But if the subject of such constructions is
expressed by a personal pronoun, the verb is placed after the subject.
"Thank you for your
help," she said.
"Don't mention it,"
he answered.
If verbs like "said,
asked, replied" stand before direct speech, inversion is not used:
Nina said, "Let's go
home."
in Direct Speech when the reporting verb comes
after the quote and the subject is a noun.
“What a nice dress!” said
Susan? (But: “What a nice dress!” she said.)
Inversion
depending on the beginning of the sentence
The
following cases of inversion occur when some parts of the sentence, for
example, the adverbial modifier of place or direction, come at the beginning of
the sentence. Inversion in such cases consists in moving the auxiliary verb,
and in some cases the main verb (i.e., the whole tense form), into the position
before the subject. Such types of inversion are used for emphasis, mostly in
literary works.
Inversion after "so", "such", "as"
So unhappy did the boy look
that we gave him all the sweets that we had. – The boy looked so unhappy that
we gave him all the sweets that we had.
Such was her disappointment
that she started to cry. – Her disappointment was so strong that she started to
cry.
Inversion after adjectives and participles
Gone are the days when he was
young and full of energy. – The days when he was young and full of energy are
gone.
Beautiful was her singing. –
Her singing was beautiful.
Inversion after adverbial modifiers of place
Right in front of him stood a
huge two-headed dragon. - A huge two-headed dragon stood right in front of him.
In the middle of the road was
sitting a strange old man dressed in black. - A strange old man dressed in
black was sitting in the middle of the road.
Behind the mountain lay the
most beautiful valley that he had ever seen. - The most beautiful valley that
he had ever seen lay behind the mountain.
Inversion after postpositions
The doors opened, and outran
several people. – Several people ran out when the doors opened.
Up went hundreds of toy
balloons. – Hundreds of toy balloons went up.
But if the
subject is expressed by a personal pronoun, the verb stands after the subject.
Are you ready? Off we go!
Out he ran. – He ran out.
In the following structures we invert the
subject and the main verb: after
adverbs of place.
There goes the bus! (But:
There it goes!) Here is your pen! (but: Here it is!)
Direct object at the beginning of the sentence
Direct
object is sometimes placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis. In
such cases, the subject usually stands after the object, and the predicate
follows the subject; that is, inverted word order is generally not used if the
object is moved. Compare:
That we don't know. – We
don't know that.
Those people I can ask. – I
can ask those people.
Red dresses she doesn't like.
– She doesn't like red dresses.
Inversion in negative constructions
Inverted negative constructions
are used for emphasis, mostly in formal writing and in literary works.
Inversion is required in
negative sentences beginning with the following negative adverbs and adverbial
phrases: never; never before; not only...but also; not until; no sooner; at no
time; on no account; under no circumstances.
Inversion also takes place in
sentences beginning with the following adverbs and adverbial phrases used in a
negative sense: rarely; seldom; hardly; scarcely; little; only when; only
after; only then.
Never before have I felt such
fear. – I have never felt such fear before.
Never in his life had he seen
a more repulsive creature. – He had never in his life seen a more repulsive
creature.
Not only did he spill coffee
everywhere, but he also broke my favorite vase. – He not only spilled coffee
everywhere but also broke my favorite vase.
Not only was the princess
strikingly beautiful, but she was also extremely intelligent. – The princess
was not only strikingly beautiful but also extremely intelligent.
Not until much later did I
understand the significance of that event. – I understood the significance of
that event much later.
No sooner had she put down
the phone than it started to ring again. – As soon as she put down the phone,
it started to ring again. The phone started to ring again as soon as she put
down the receiver.
At no time should you let him
out of your sight. – You should not let him out of your sight at any time.
Don't let him out of your sight even for a second.
Prepositions
Bu yapıda yardımcı fiil aynen
kalır ve her iki tarafındaki tümleçler yer değiştirir.
The children ran down the
hill. - Down the hill ran the children.
His office is on the second
floor. - On the second floor is his office.
A lot of people are in the
demonstration. - In the demonstration are a lot of people.
So, neither /nor, as to express agreement.
Constructions
with "so" and "neither /nor". Inversion is required in
responses like "So do I" and "Neither do I".
“I enjoy romance films.” “So
do I.”(”So” is used to agree with an affirmative statement.)
“Tim didn’t come.” “Neither/Nor
did Ann.” (“Neither/Nor” are used to agree with a negative statement.)
Her students loved her, as
did her colleagues.
I don't like coffee. –
Neither do I.
She will wait for them. – So
will I. She won't wait for them. – Neither will I.
Hardly Ever, Scarcely ever, Seldom, Rarely (Hemen hemen hiç, Nadiren)
She hardly ever calls me. -
Hardly ever does she call me.
I have rarely seen such a
beautiful view. - Rarely have I seen
such a beautiful view
Hardly … when, Scarcely … when, Barely ... when,
No sooner … than: (Tam X olmuştu ki Y oldu)
The thief had scarcely
entered the building when the alarm went off. - Scarcely had the thief entered
the building when the alarm went off.
Hardly had I stepped into the
house when the light went out. - I had hardly stepped into the house when the
light went out.
Little
They little know what awaits
them. - Little do they know what awaits them.
Little did he know what his
fate had in store for him. – He did not know what his fate had in store for
him.
Only by, Only in, Only with: sadece
You will understand the topic
only by reading it carefully.- Only by reading it carefully will you understand
the topic.
It can be guaranteed that health
care costs are not wasted only in this way.- Only in this way can it be
guaranteed that health care costs are not wasted.
Only by luck did I notice it
was gone.- Only in the event of a snowstorm will we not go.
Only then: Ancak o zaman
Only once: Sadece bir defa
You can play with my new toy
only once.- Only once can you play with my new toy.
On no account, In / Under no (any) circumstances (Hiçbir şekilde,
durumda)
You should on no account put
a metal utensil in the microwave. - On no account should you put a metal
utensil in the microwave.
Iran can’t be allowed to have
nuclear weapons In /Under any circumstances.- In /Under no circumstances can
Iran be allowed to have nuclear weapons.
Not: “any ve no” kullanımına dikkat ediniz.
Cümlenin fiili olumsuz ise “in no circumstances” kullanılamaz “in any
circumstances” kullanılır.
Only when, Only after, Only before, Only if
He is allowed to go only when
he tells the truth. - Only when he tells the truth is he allowed to go.
You can start using your
credit card again only after you pay your debt.- Only after you pay your debt
can you start using your credit card again.
Only after my guest left did
I remember his name. – I remembered my guest's name only after he left.
So + Adjective + that / Such + Adjective + Noun + that
Inversion structure of
"so...that" = So + adj/adv+ Verb + Subject + that
Their dog was so fierce that
no one dared to come near it. - So fierce was their dog that no one dared to
come near it.
They are such careful
students that they rarely make mistakes. - Such careful students are they that
they rarely make mistakes.
I never smoke. Never do I
smoke. She has never been here. Never has she been here.
Not till / until
They can’t go out until they
finish their homework. Not until they finish their homework can they go out.
Not only …… but also
Inversion
structure: Not only/ hardly....+ V + S + O, clause
He not only woke up late, he
also forgot his books at home.- Not only did he wake up late, he also forgot
his books at home.
Inversion
structure: Not only/ hardly....+ V + S + O, clause
Not only is seismology used
to determine the depth of the ocean floor, but it is also used to locate oil.
Not + object
The prime minister hasn’t
said a single word after the scandal.- Not a single word has the prime minister
said after the scandal.
Not (even) once, Not until, Not often, etc. : bir kez bile
Not even once did I hear her
say thank you.
Not often had we experienced
such chaos.
Nowhere
He is accepted nowhere. Nowhere is
he accepted.
Than / as
You always walk faster than I
do. You always walk faster than do I.
Mary got divorced, as her
parents had done years before. Mary got divorced, as had her parents done years
before.
