Inversion is something we do in English for emphasis, formality or style!
There are several types of inversion and today I am mostly going to discuss simple inversion.
What is it?
Quite simply inversion means putting the verb before the subject and we usually do it in question form: to emphasise, sound dramatic or increase formality.
Example:
He is angry. (The subject is ‘him’. It’s before the verb ‘is’.)
Is he angry? (The verb ‘is’ is before the subject ‘he’.) The verb and subject have switched places. This is inversion!
In most verb tenses, when we want to use inversion, we just move the verb before the subject. If there's more than one verb, for example auxiliary verbs, we move the first verb. In questions, if there is an auxiliary verb (be, do, have, will, can, should, etc), it is placed before the subject.
Example:
I've lived here a long time. ~ How long have you lived here?
As you see in the example below of the two verb tenses 'To be', we just switch the placement of the verb and subject:
Present simple: am I / are you / is he
Past simple: were you / was she
When do we use inversion?
Of course we use inversion in questions, but sometimes it’s used in other situations, when we are not making a question.
Using negative adverbs and phrases at the beginning of a sentence:
Usually, this expression is placed at the beginning of the sentence to emphasise what we're saying. It can also make our sentence sound more formal.
Negative or limiting adverbs
Negative and limiting adverbs are a group of adverbs which limit the meaning of a verb or make it negative. Examples are never, rarely, hardly, not often, etc.
Exercises:
1. Which of these adverbs cannot be used for an inversion?
a. always, b. never, c. hardly, d. rarely
2. What is the inverted form of the sentence: ‘They have rarely gone on holiday’.
a. Rarely have they gone on holiday.
b. Rarely they have gone on holiday.
c. Rarely have gone they on holiday.
3. Which of these is the inverted form of: ‘ I never passed my driving test’
a. Never I passed my driving test
b. I Never did pass my driving test
c. Never did I pass my driving test
4. What is the inversion of this sentence: I wouldn’t have missed the train if I arrived five minutes earlier.
Answers are at the foot of this page. No peeking!
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Answers:
1. a. Always
2. b. Rarely have they gone on holiday.
3. c. Never did I pass my driving test.
4. Had I arrived five minutes earlier, I wouldn't have missed the train".