Download INVERSION

INVERSION
Inversion means putting the verb before the subject → this happen in questions and in number of
other cases.
2 kinds of inversion:
TYPE A.In this case an auxiliary comes before the subject and the rest of the verb follows:
I have never felt better. → Never have I felt better.
If there is no auxiliary → “do” is used:
I understood only yesterday. → Only yesterday did I understand.
TYPE B.In the other kind of inversion, the whole verb is placed before the subject,“do”is not used:
“I love you,“ whispered John.
Inversion is used in written English or in formal public speeches.
In spoken English is after: HERE, THERE, NEITHER, NOR, SO...e.g.: So do I.
1. Inversion after negative or restrictive (omezující) adverbs:
SELDOM, RARELY, SCARCELY, NEVER, HARDLY, NO SOONER, ONLY THEN, NOT
ONLY, ONLY AFTER..., LITTLE, NOT UNTIL, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, AT NO
TIME, ON NO CONDITION, ON NO ACCOUNT, NOT ONCE, ...
In all this cases, the negative adverb can be placed later without inversion, but sometimes you put it at
the beginning for emphasizing.
NO INVERSION
I´ve never watched a better match.
I had no sooner arrived than I had
a new problem to cope with.
Tim had hardly/scarcely left when the phone rang.
Harry not only missed the train but he also lost
his case.
Visitors are not allowed to feed the animals
on any account. any → no
I only began to see the results after a year.
I little realized my mistake.
You shouldn´t touch those wires under
any circumstances.
I didn´t notice that I had the wrong umbrella
until I got home.
INVERSION (TYPE A)
Never have I watched a better match.
No sooner had I arrived than I had a new problem
to cope with.
Hardly had Tim left when the phone rang.
Not only did Harry miss the train, but he also
lost his case.
On no account are visitors allowed to feed the
animals.
Only after a year did I begin to see the results.
Little did i realize my mistake.
Under no circumstances should you touch those
wires.
Not until I got home did I notice that I had the
wrong umbrella.
2. Inversion after adverbs of place (+noun) followed by intransitive verbs (nemají za sebou
předmět)
COME, WALK, GO, LIE, STAND, LIVE ( type B)
Charles Dickens lived in this house. → In this house lived Charles Dickens.
Now comes the best point.
Here comes John. There goes bus. = this is ordinary spoken English
The castle stood on a hill in front of us. → On a hill in front of us stood a castle.
After short adverbs such as:
AWAY, OF, IN, OUT, DOWN, UP, ROUND + Verbs of motion + a noun object inversion is
used too:
Up went the plane. = There is more drama in this construction than in: The plane went up.
BUT!!! Up it went.
3. Other cases of inversion:
a. verbs of reporting:
“What do you mean,” asked Harry. - sloveso před podmětem
b. if- clauses:
If you should see them, let me know. → Should you see them, let me know.
to be: If they were to find out, what would you do? → Were they to find out, ...
If I had missed the train, ... → Had I missed the train
c. neither, nor, so
I don´t understand. Neither / Nor does he.
She agrees. So do I.
echo sentences:
They have to leave. So do I.
You mustn´t steal. Neither must I.
They needn´t apologize. Neither / Nor need you.
d. exclamations:
Isn´t it cold!
Aren´t I lucky! - ne otazník !!!
e. inversion after so / such + be
The floods were so devastating, that the area may never recover. → So devastating
were the floods, ...
Such was the force of the storm, ...
f. as
I thought as did my colleagues, that it was wrong.
We were short of money as were most of people at that time.
QUESTION TAGS
Q.T. are a way of adding a question to a statement. A positive statement has a negative tag and
vice versa. If the intonation falls, the speaker expects the agreement, if it rises, the speaker has made
it a genuine question.
“You agree with me, don´t you?“
“You don´t take sugar, do you?“
don´t
you? → you expect: Yes, I do.
don´t
you? → you expect: Yes / No.
do
you? → you expect: No, I don´t.
Imperatives:
“Don´t drive too fast, will you?“
“Let´s have a break, shall we?“
“Someone´s got to pay, haven´t they?“
“Nobody phoned, did they?“
If there is a positive tag after a positive statement, the speaker expresses interest, concern,
surprise, anger...
“So you´re getting married, are you?“
“You think you´re funny, do you?“