Inversion

● after certain expressions placed at the beginning of a sentence.

Barely, Hardly (ever) ..., when, no, in/under no circumstances, Little, Never (before),
Nor/Neither, No sooner ... than, Not even once, Not only ... but also, Not since, Not till/until,
Nowhere, Only, Only in this way, On no account, On no occasion, Only then, Rarely,
Scarcely (ever), when, Seldom. Little did he say about his accident. Rarely does he visit us.
Note that when only after, only by, only if, only when, not since, not until/until are put at the
beginning of a sentence, we use inversion in the main clause.
Only when you see him will you realise how much he has suffered.

● after so, such, to such a degree (in result clauses) placed at the beginning of a sentence.
So hard does he work that he will soon be promoted.

● In conditionals when should, were, had (Past Perfect) are placed at the beginning of the sentence.
Note that “if” is omitted.
Should you go out, leave the key under the mat. (If you should go out. – Type 1)
Were I you, I would apologise. (If I were you ... – Type 2)
Had he been invited, he would have come. (If he had been invited ... – Type 3)

● after so, neither/nor, to as to express agreement.

“I enjoy romantic films.” “So do I.” (“So” is used to agree with an affirmative statement.)
“Tim didn’t come.” “Neither/Nor did Ann.” (“Neither”/”Nor” are used to agree with a negative
statement.)
Her students loved her, as did her colleagues.

● In the following structures we invert the subject and the main verb.

● after adverbs of place. Here goes the bus! (but: There it goes!) Here is your pen! (but: Here it is!)

● In Direct Speech when the reporting verb comes after the quote and the subject is a noun.
“What a nice dress!” said Susan. (But: “What a nice dress!” she said.)

Exercise:

Complete the sentences using the words in bold. Use two to five words.

1. We can go on with the plan only if you agree.

can .............................................................................................................................

2. Edna won’t leave the house under any circumstances.

will.............................................................................................................................

3. If the river rises any higher, the town will be flooded.

rise.............................................................................................................................

4. If you’d paid on time, you wouldn’t have been cut off.

paid.............................................................................................................................

5. He had just recovered from flu when he caught a bad cold.

sooner.............................................................................................................................

6. He took such a long holiday that he forgot how to do his job.

did.............................................................................................................................

7. They managed to get our attention only by shouting and waving their arms.

manage.............................................................................................................................

8. He only asks for help when he is really desperate.

ask.............................................................................................................................

9. If I see him, I’ll give him your message.

should.............................................................................................................................

10. Tom never seems worried about his future.

seem.............................................................................................................................

11. I’ve never had such fun anywhere else.

else.............................................................................................................................

12. Lynn didn’t realise that her mother was so worried about her.

realise.............................................................................................................................

13. The army marched forward into battle.

marched.............................................................................................................................

14. Her parents and her friends warned her not to go alone.

friends.............................................................................................................................

15. She sang so well that she was offered a record deal.

sing.............................................................................................................................

16. Unemployment hasn’t been at such a high level at any time since the 1930’s.

been.............................................................................................................................

17. I only watch television if I don’t have anything else to do.

do.............................................................................................................................

18. She’d barely finished drying her hair when her first guests arrived.

had.............................................................................................................................

19. He didn’t thank me once for feeding his cat.

once.............................................................................................................................

20. If there had been a phone nearby, he would have called an ambulance.

there.............................................................................................................................

21. The door to the basement isn’t to be left open on any account.

account.............................................................................................................................

22. We won’t tell anybody the good news until we’re certain it’s true.

will.............................................................................................................................

23. He felt so unwell that he had to cancel their date.

did.............................................................................................................................

24. Bob forgot his mother’s birthday and his sister’s too.

did.............................................................................................................................

25. He was so anxious that he kept biting his nails.

his.............................................................................................................................

26. Brown bread is healthier and tastier than white bread.

only.............................................................................................................................

27. I didn’t expect that they would throw a surprise party for my birthday.

expect.............................................................................................................................

28. It isn’t often that temperatures in Spain fall below 0°C.

fall.............................................................................................................................

29. If I were you, I’d accept the offer.

you.............................................................................................................................

30. This is the only way the Prime Minister can win the election.

This.............................................................................................................................

31. As the exams were difficult, many students complained.

So.............................................................................................................................

32. His dream was so strange that his psychiatrist wrote about it in a medical journal.

So.............................................................................................................................

33. The explorers took such a long time to find the tomb that they had nearly run out of supplies.

Such.............................................................................................................................

34. Many people think she’s English because she speaks the language so fluently.

So.............................................................................................................................

35. She is so ignorant that she has never heard of Shakespeare.

Such.............................................................................................................................

36. He was so surprised that he nearly fell off his chair.

Such.............................................................................................................................

37. The dancer moved so gracefully that he appeared to be skating.

So.............................................................................................................................

38. I had never heard such an incredible story before.

Never.............................................................................................................................

39. If I had known about the traffic, I would have left earlier.

Had.............................................................................................................................

40. He speaks so eloquently that everyone listens attentively.

So.............................................................................................................................

41. The protesters only dispersed when the police arrived.

Only .............................................................................................................................

42. She realized how important the meeting was only after she missed it.

Only after.............................................................................................................................

43. If you should need assistance, call this number immediately.

Should.............................................................................................................................

44. I rarely watch television these days.

Rarely.............................................................................................................................

45. We had no sooner sat down than the performance began.

No sooner.............................................................................................................................

46. If I were the manager, I would change the company policy.

Were.............................................................................................................................

47. They completed the project only by working overtime for weeks.

Only .............................................................................................................................

48. He little suspected that his friend had betrayed him.

Little.............................................................................................................................

49. Nowhere will you find a better view than from this mountain peak.

Nowhere.............................................................................................................................

50. I had hardly finished my meal when the waiter brought the bill.

Hardly.............................................................................................................................

51. At no time did the defendant admit to the crime.

At no time.............................................................................................................................

52. The results were so surprising that the scientists repeated the experiment twice.

So.............................................................................................................................

53. We won’t begin the discussion until all members are present.

Not .............................................................................................................................

54. He is not only talented but also extremely disciplined.

Not .............................................................................................................................

55. If there had been more evidence, the jury might have reached a different verdict.

Had .............................................................................................................................

56. She seldom makes the same mistake twice.

Seldom.............................................................................................................................

57. The moment I stepped outside, it started to rain heavily.

No sooner.............................................................................................................................

1. She understood the full impact of her words only then.

Only then: .............................................................................................................................

2. He has never before encountered such fierce opposition from his colleagues.

Never before: .............................................................................................................................

3. In no circumstances should confidential files be taken out of the office.

In no circumstances: .............................................................................................................................

4. The suspect scarcely had time to hide the evidence when the police burst in.

Scarcely: .............................................................................................................................

5. On no occasion will the museum be open after midnight.

On no occasion: .............................................................................................................................

6. The team realised the importance of their victory only in this way.

Only in this way: .............................................................................................................................

7. No sooner had the speech ended than the audience erupted into applause.

No sooner: .............................................................................................................................

8. Little did the committee know that their decision would spark a national debate.

Little: .............................................................................................................................

9. Barely had we started the meeting when the fire alarm went off.

Barely: .............................................................................................................................

10. Not till the final whistle did the fans stop chanting.

Not till: .............................................................................................................................

11. Nowhere in the report was there any mention of financial misconduct.

Nowhere: .............................................................................................................................

12. Rarely had the orchestra performed with such precision.

Rarely: .............................................................................................................................

13. Not since the 1990s have property prices risen so sharply.

Not since: .............................................................................................................................

14. Only by sheer determination did she manage to finish the marathon.

Only by: .............................................................................................................................

15. On no account must the safety instructions be ignored.

On no account: .............................................................................................................................

16. Seldom had a political leader faced such widespread criticism.

Seldom: .............................................................................................................................

17. Nor was the chairman willing to compromise on the terms.

Nor: .............................................................................................................................

18. Not even once did he acknowledge his opponent’s skill.

Not even once: .............................................................................................................................

19. Scarcely had they completed the renovation when the storm damaged the roof.

Scarcely: .............................................................................................................................

20. Only after the investigation concluded was the truth revealed.

Only after: .............................................................................................................................