English Grammar - Inversion－威爾斯美語忠孝分校

Inversion (verb before the subject)

Inversion means putting the verb before the subject.
It is a literary technique in which the normal order of words is reversed, generally for emphasis
or special effect. It makes a sentence sound striking or unusual. It also sounds quite formal.
Sentences with inversion are less common in everyday English.
In a sentence with no special effect or emphasis, the normal order of words is retained.

Example 1 : I have never seen such a beautiful rose.
Example 2 : Never have I seen such a beautiful rose.

In example 2 inversion is used to emphasize the fact that in your whole lifetime
you have not seen such a beautiful rose.

In normal everyday English, inversion is used :

To make questions : Does he? Can you?
After 'so' 'neither', 'nor' : So do I, neither do I, nor do I.

In written English, as well as in a very formal style, inversion can be used in the following cases :

After negative adverbial expressions :
- Under no circumstances can we accept credit cards.
- In no way can he be held responsible.
- At no time did she say she would come.
- Not until I heard my name did I believe I had won the race.
After adverbial expressions of place :
- Round the corner came the postman.
- On the doorstep was a bunch of flowers.
After 'seldom', 'rarely', 'never', and 'little' :
- Seldom have I seen such a beautiful view.
- Rarely did he pay anyone a compliment.
- Never had I felt so happy.
- Little did he imagine how dangerous it would be.
After 'hardly', 'scarcely', 'no sooner', when one thing happens after another.
- Hardly had I begun to speak when I was interrupted.
- Scarcely had we started our meal when the phone rang.
- No sooner had I arrived than they all started to argue.
After adverbial expressions beginning with 'only' and 'not only' :
- Only after the meeting did I realize the importance of the subject.
- Only when the plane landed safely did he calm down.
- Not only was the car slow, it was also very uncomfortable.
Conditionals with inversions
In conditional sentences we can sometimes replace the 'if' with an inversion:
- Had I known it would be so difficult I would never have enrolled.
After exclamations with 'here' and 'there' :
- Here comes the winner!
- There goes all our money!