We’ve already seen inversions in English, especially when making questions and with short comments such as so do I / neither do I. But we also use them for these main purposes:
- To emphasize what we’re saying or writing: Nowhere did I find such a thing
- For using a very formal style, especially for writing: Towards the enemy went the soldiers
- For dramatic/aesthetic reasons: In Xanadu did Kubla Khan,...
The most common inversions are these:
- After starting a sentence with negative adverbs or negative adverbial phrase:
- Never had I been so embarrassed in my life (emphatic) but I’d never been so embarrassed (neutral)
- No sooner had she finished cooking than the first guest rang the bell (notice that sooner is a comparative form so we use than)
- Not only does she paint well but she also sings beautifully
- To replace “IF” conditionals: “SHOULD” for the 1st conditional, “WERE” for the 2nd conditional and “HAD” for the 3rd one:
- Should he be more polite, he’ll be invited to the party
- Were Trump to be re-elected, we’d get shocked (notice the use of infinitive)
- Had I known you were going to be so upset, I would have said nothing
- After adverbial expressions of place, especially after HERE and THERE:
- Here comes the bus!
- In front of the altar was the groom, waiting for the bride
- After SO + adjective ... + THAT … like in this sentence:
- So lovely was the afternoon that they went for a walk (very formal)
If you want a summary of this grammar point you can use these videos or links that may help you with inversions:
- BBC English Masterclass: focused on grammar issues
- Inversions in ordinary spoken English: watch this video
- Inversions in conditional sentences: go to this link or this simpler one with an exercise
Once you’ve seen the grammar point, let's practise with some exercises:
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