Inversion


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Mr Naveen Kumar Gunwal
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Inversion
Sentence structure of Simple sentences:
                                Subject + Verb ………………..
                                He writes a letter.
                Interrogative sentences, helping verb is usually before the subject:
                Are you writing a letter?
                Have you finished your homework?
ž  Seldom have I seen such beautiful girl.
('Seldom' is at the beginning, so we use inversion. This sentence emphasizes what beautiful girl she is.)
ž  I have seldom seen such beautiful girl.
('Seldom' is in the normal place, so we don't use inversion. This is a normal sentence with no special emphasis.)
ž  I never watched television. (normal sentence)
ž  Never did I watched television.
ž  (Sentence with inversion to create emphasis)
What is Inversion?
Inversion is the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase.
                There are two types of inversion:
v  Subject-verb inversion:
                Here the subject and the main verb switch positions and the word order becomes:
                verb + subject:
On the top of the hill stood a boy.
Round the corner went Saurav.
Under the tree is standing a cow.
v  Subject-auxiliary inversion:
                Here the subject and the auxiliary switch positions and the word order becomes:
                auxiliary + subject (+ verb):
                Hardly had I reached school when the bell rang.
Never does he go to school.
When a sentence begins with ‘No sooner’.
No sooner did I reach school, than the bell rang.
No sooner did the child see a snake, it cried.
No sooner had we arrived home than the police rang the doorbell.
When ‘hardly, scarcely, barely, rarely, never, seldom, little, nowhere’ are used at the beginning of the sentence:
                Hardly does he help me.
                Never does he visit me.
                Rarely does she absent from school.
                Seldom does one hear a politician say ‘sorry’.
                Never have we witnessed such cruel behaviour by one child to another.
                Little did we know.
                Nowhere had I ever had such a bad service.
When a sentence begins with ‘Not only’
Not only did he help me but he also gave me food.
Not only did they rob the old man but they also killed him.
Not only does he love chocolate and sweets but he also smokes.
With the following pareses having ‘no’:
                At no time, under no circumstances, on no condition, on no account, in no way, only in this way, only later, only then etc.
                Under no circumstances will he help you.
                On no condition shall I sell my bike.
                Only in this way could John earn enough money to survive.
                In no way will the teacher forgive you.
                On no account should you do anything without asking me first.
                In no way do I agree with what you're saying.
After  ‘not + a prepositional phrase or a clause’ in initial position:
v  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 realise my purse was missing.
After the following expression having ‘only’:
                Only the day before yesterday, only yesterday, only last month, only last fortnight, only after a month/ year, only then, only in this way, only when, only by doing this thing, only a few schools/ colleges/ countries/ continents etc.
  • Only yesterday did I reach Delhi.
  • Only by jumping into the river did I save the child.
  • Only then can we save our country.
Adverbial expressions, usually followed by did-
On a hill, on the table, under the table, round the corner, along the road, along the border, outside the gate/ building/ house, in the valley/ classroom/ office etc.
                On a hill did I saw an old man with an ass.
                Outside the house did I saw a vendor.
                Along the road did I find I revolver.
Adverbial expressions, usually not followed by did-
Under a tree, on the bed, …….miles/kms beyond……….etc.
Under a tree was sleeping a dog.
Ten miles beyond the hospital was a coaching centre.
On the bed was sleeping the baby.
After the following adverbs:
Indoor/ outdoor/ up/ down/ in/ out/ here/ there/ away etc.
Here comes the bus.
There goes the dog.
Away went the child.
Down fell the apples.
In came the children.
Here he goes.
Away they went.
There she comes.
So + adverb of manner
So shabbily have you done your homework.
So loudly do you speak.
So + adjective ……that-
ž  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.)
ž  So delicious was the food that we ate every last bite. (Normal sentence: the food was so delicious that we ate every last bite.)
When the sentence begins with the following phrases:
To such a/an extent/degree/ point/ length
                To such a degree did the students make a noise that the teacher punished them.
If I were…..
If I were a bird.!
Were I a bird!
If + subject + should/Had + V3…….., subject+ verb
If he had invited me, I would have attended the party.
Had he invited me, I would have attended the party.
If you should meet him, sk him to return my book.
Should you meet him, sk him to return my book.
After neither, nor, so etc.
Ashwin donated blood, so did I
Only when
                Only when we had all arrived home did I feel calm.
                Only by
                Only by working extremely hard could we afford to eat.
                Note: 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.)
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 had seen her flat did I understand why she wanted to live there.
                 


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