UNIT 16

Verb inversion

In formal English the subject and verb are occasionally inverted, to give emphasis or
literary or dramatic effect. This should be avoided in spoken or informal English.
Inversion may take place in
a adverb clauses beginning with Scarcely/Hardly... when/before,
No sooner... than.
• Hardly had he raised the alarm() when the fire engine arrived.
• No sooner had she told him her address than she regretted it.
b negative adverb clauses beginning with Under no circumstances, On no
account, In vain, At no time, In no way, Never/Not for one moment,
Seldom, Rarely, Never:
• In vain did they try to persuade him.
c conditional clauses in which if is replaced by had, had... but, had... only,
should:
• Should the rope break, the dinghy will float away.
• Had Colin but informed the police, he would be safe now.
d clauses with so + adjective (or little, few, much, many) or such + noun:
• So little did he know about herQ that he was not even sure of her name.
• Such was my annoyanceQ that I tore up the letter.

A Rewrite the sentences, 1 They had seldom participated in such a fascinating ceremony.
putting the words in italics 2 I pleaded with him in vain. He was adamant.
at the beginning, and ^ Miss Weaver will not be offered the job under any circumstances.
making any other necessary
changes. 4 If the film should be a box-office success, there may be a sequel.
5 He was so surprised to be addressed by the Queen that he didn’t
answer at once.
6 If only they had confirmed by phone, the airline could have warned
them.
He had hardly entered the house when the police arrested him.
8 I never for one moment thought the consequences would be so far-
reaching.
She has rarely travelled more than fifty miles from her village.
10 You must on no account lift heavy weights like that again.
11 I had scarcely put down the phone when it rang again.
12 The defendant did not express his misgivings in any way.
13 The task was so difficult that expert assistance was required.
14 If they had accepted our offer, we would have moved house by now.

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 U n i t 16

B Match the two halves of 1 No sooner had Karen parked A I’ll be available all afternoon.
the sentences correctly. her car
2 Such was her fury that B when it was surrounded by
photographers.
3 Scarcely had the plane landed C than a lorry crashed into it.
4 Should you need any help, D can you find palaces as fine as
these.
5 Nowhere else in the world E she threw the book across the
room.

Inversion also takes place

a after only and as:
• Only yesterday did I hear the news.
• They live in Hollywood, as do most of the other stars.
Also note the use of Not only... but also:
• Not only did we get wet; but we also lost our passports.
b in clauses with *here and *there, and other adverbial expressions of place.
Note that do/did are not used: • Here are the answers.
• Up jumped the cat. • In the corner sat a large pig.
Note also that continuous tenses are rare:
• There goes the bus! NOT *There is going the bus!
In this case inversion does not take place if the subject is a pronoun:
• Here you are! • Down it jumped. • Round the corner she ran.
‘ Inversion after these words is normal, not just a formal use.
c in short answers with neither, nor and so, formally and informally:
• Neither do I. • Nor is he. • So are you.

C Correct the sentences if 1 Over fell I, and broke my leg.

necessary, beginning with 2 ‘I’d rather have a walk in the morning.’ ‘So I would.’
the same word. Tick any
3 Not only she twisted her ankle, but she also dropped her purse.
which are already correct.
4 Down in the valley lay a fertile-looking vineyard.
5 Only recently did scientists discover a cure for certain types of
leukaemia.
6 Charlotte Bronte died of tuberculosis, as did all her sisters.
7 Up the stairs did the plump old housekeeper puff.
8 Look, there go the children on their way to school.
9 Right through the underwater tunnel swam she.
10 Only if you pay cash will you get the car.
11 Into the valley of death rode the six hundred.
12 There is the famous statue of Admiral Lord Nelson standing.
13 Only last week found I the information I’d been looking for.
14 Here the police come! Someone must have called them.

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U n i t 16

D Complete the second 1 It isn’t worth considering his suggestion for a moment,
sentence so that it means giving
the same as the first one, Not for one moment_________________________ _ consideration.
using the word given. You
must use between three 2 He was so disgusted at the way she behaved that he refused to speak
and eight words, to her.
including the word given. her
Be careful, because Such ______________________________ he refused to speak to her.
inversion may not be 3 Adele tries hard, but she doesn’t get anywhere,
required in every sentence.
hard
However______________________________ nowhere.
4 The volunteers’ efforts to avert the catastrophe were unsuccessful,
attempt
In vain______________________________ avert the catastrophe.
5 I was never shown how to operate the machine,
ever
At no time______________________________ the machine work.
6 The firm had never celebrated anything so lavishly before,
such
Never______________________________ laid on by the firm.
7 It wasn’t until last week that the minister admitted he was wrong,
error
Only last week_______________________________ of judgement.
8 Tick the box if you wish to take advantage of the offer,
accept
Should______________________________ tick in the box.
9 We may have to reject applications in a few cases,
be
In a few cases, applications______________________________ down.
10 Invitations were sent out as soon as the date was chosen,
been
Hardly______________________________ invitations were sent out.
11 In order to stay open, the charity shop needs at least four helpers,
enable
No fewer_______________________________ the charity shop to stay
open.
12 If his father hadn’t advised him against it, he might have become a
record producer.
for
Had it not_______________________________ a record producer now.
13 The employees insisted on being given a full bonus,
satisfy
Nothing bu t______________________________ the employees.
14 This computer data is strictly confidential,
revealed
Under no circumstances______________________________ to anyone.

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