Inverted word order

When used with a verb of motion, an adverb or adverb phrase of location may be placed at the
beginning of a clause, followed immediately by the verb, followed by the noun subject of the
verb. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples.
adverb phrase verb of noun
of location + motion + subject

Up the hill trundled the train.
ere come our friends.
!f the subject of the verb is a personal pronoun, the subject must precede the verb, as
illustrated below"
adverb phrase pronoun verb of
of location + subject + motion

Up the hill it trundled.
ere they come.
Negative adverbs
#egative adverbs include adverbs with an explicit negative meaning, such as never, not and
nowhere, as well as adverbs with an implied negative meaning, such as hardly, scarcely and
seldom.
i. Double negatives
!n modern $nglish, there is a rule that a clause containing one negative word expresses a
negative meaning, but a clause containing two negative words expressed an affirmative
meaning. !n the case of a clause with two negative words, it is considered that one of these
words negates the other, so that an affirmative meaning results. The presence of two negative
words in a clause is referred to as a double negative.
!n some dialects of $nglish, clauses containing two negative words may be used to express a
negative meaning.
e.g. !%m not saying nothing about it.
e never told nobody the secret.
owever, this use of the double negative is considered to be grammatically incorrect in
standard $nglish.
&or each of the above examples, the double negative can be eliminated by omitting or altering
one of the negative words. Thus, the meaning of the first example could be correctly
expressed by either of the following sentences"
!%m saying nothing about it. Or
!%m not saying anything about it.
'imilarly, the meaning of the second example could be correctly expressed by either of the
following sentences"
e told nobody the secret. Or
e never told anybody the secret.
ii. Inverted word order
(
!f a clause begins with a negative adverb, inverted word order must usually be used, with the
subject following the 'imple )resent or 'imple )ast of the verb to be, or the first auxiliary. !n
the case of the 'imple )resent or 'imple )ast of any verb other than the verb to be, the
auxiliary to do must be used. This construction is summarized below, followed by examples.
'imple form of
negative adverb + verb to be or + subject
or adverb phrase first auxiliary

#ever before was ! so eager to reach home.
*ittle did we thin+ we would meet again.
'eldom had they tasted such a delicacy.
&ollowing are other examples of this type of construction. The negative adverbs and adverb
phrases are printed in bold type, and the subjects of the verbs are underlined.
e.g. Seldom was he at a loss for words.
Scarcely had we left the house, when it began to rain.
Not for many years was the true story +nown.
No sooner did the bell ring than the children ran out of the school.
!n the first example, the subject he follows was, the 'imple )ast of the verb to be. !n the
succeeding examples, the subjects we, story and bell follow the auxiliaries had, was and did,
respectively.
!n this type of inverted construction, if there is used as an introductory word, there follows
the 'imple )ast or 'imple )resent of the verb to be, or the first auxiliary.
e.g. Seldom were there more than five duc+s on the pond.
Rarely had there been more swans on the la+e than there were that day.
!n the first example, there follows were, the 'imple )ast of the verb to be. !n the second
example, there follows the auxiliary had, of the verb had been.
!t should be noted that the expression so ... that can also be used with inverted word order.
e.g. So exhausted were we that we fell asleep at the table.
!n this example, the subject we follows the verb were.
3. Interrogative adverbs
The adverbs how, when, where and why can be used as interrogative adverbs at the
beginning of direct ,uestions. The interrogative adverbs in the following direct ,uestions are
printed in bold type.
e.g. How are you-
When is he coming-
Where were you-
Why did you say that-
.s shown in these examples, inverted word order must be used, with the subject following the
'imple )ast or 'imple )resent of the verb to be, or the first auxiliary. !n the case of the
'imple )resent and 'imple )ast of verbs other than the verb to be, the auxiliary to do must be
used. !n the following examples, the subjects are underlined.
e.g. How is your sister-
When did you see him-
Where is she going-
Why has he changed his mind-
!n these examples, the subject sister follows the verb is, and the subjects you, she and he
/
follow the auxiliaries did, is and has, respectively.

.s well as being used as interrogative adjectives at the beginning of direct ,uestions, how,
when, where and why can also be used at the beginning of subordinate clauses. !n the
following examples, the subordinate clauses are underlined.
e.g. 0e ready to start when you hear the signal.
e camped close to where the broo+ flows into the la+e.
!n the first example, when you hear the signal is an adverb clause of time. !n the second
example, where the broo flows into the lae is an adverb clause of location.
!n addition to being used at the beginning of adverb clauses, how, when, where and why can
also be used at the beginning of indirect ,uestions. !n the following examples, the indirect
,uestions are underlined.
e.g. ! want to +now how he did that.
! wonder when they will arrive.
)lease tell me where the school is.
! will as+ why she left early.
.s pointed out previously, inverted word order is not used in indirect ,uestions. Thus, the
subject of an indirect ,uestion precedes the verb. !n the following examples, the subjects are
underlined.
e.g. We should find out how the information was transmitted.
.s+ her when she will be here.
! wonder where they are.
)lease find out why he could not come with us.
!n these examples, the subjects information, she, they and he precede the verbs was
transmitted, will be, are and could come.
Grammar
Inversion involves putting an auxiliary verb before the subject of a clause. We do this in a number of different
situations:
Questions:
The most common use of inversion is in the forming of questions. We use the auxiliary verbs be (for progressive
and passive forms), have (for perfect forms) and do (for most other forms). odal verbs can also be inverted to
form questions:
Were they ready when you arrived?
Where was it made?
Have you ever visited France?
Where do you live?
What should we do now?
Negative and restrictive adverbs:
!n formal "nglish, it is quite common to use inversion after negative adverbial expressions and restrictive #ords
such as only, never, hardly and little.
At no time did he get permission for what he was doing.
Not until the next morning did she realise how serious it was.
Only later did they learn his terrible secret.
Never before have I seen such awful behaviour.
ardly had we wal!ed in the door when the phone started ringing.
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"ittle do you !now how much trouble you are in.
So, nor and neither:
Inversion is common #hen using these #ords to expression agreement or disagreement.
I#m from $ur!ey. %o am I.
I don#t li!e monsters& Nor'Neither do I.
Conditional clauses:
!n formal "nglish, the if clause in conditional sentences can be rephrased through inversion:
Were you to win the election( what#s the first thing you#d do? ) If you won the election *
Had we !nown what the weather would be li!e( we wouldn#t have come ) If we had !nown what *
May:
When #e are ma$ing #ishes, #e can use inversion:
May you both live happily ever after&
Exclamations:
We can use inversion to ma$e exclamations:
Aren't you a silly girl&
Isn't it a lovely day&
Inversion
Inversion is used to give emphasis or to be rhetorical in more formal situations, in political
speeches, on the news, and also in literature. Some native speakers may also use them
occasionally in day-to-day conversation.
Look at these examples, and then try the exercises at the bottom of the page.

At no time
e.g. At no time did I say I would accept late homework.

ardly........when
!his is used to refer to an event that "uickly follows another. It is usually used with the
past perfect.
e.g. ardly had I got into bed, when there was a knock at the door.
Less used is ardly....before.
e.g. ardly had I left before the trouble started.

Little
e.g. Little did I know that he was a compulsive liar.
Little does she know what surprises we have in store for her.

#o sooner.....than
!his is used to refer to an event that "uickly follows another. It is usually used with the
past perfect, but sometimes with the simple past.
e.g. #o sooner had I reached the door than I realised it was locked.
#o sooner did I reach the door than I realised it was locked.

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#ot $ ob%ect
e.g. #ot a single word did she say.

#ot only.....but also
e.g. &#ot only has 'c(onalds, which employs over )
million people worldwide, played a huge role in pioneering low standards now e"uated with
the word &'c*obs&, but it has also decided to restrict our ability to have a public
discussion about the impact of the 'c*obs phenomenon&, #aomi +lein, &#o Logo, !aking
Aim at -rand -ullies& .!oronto, /intage 0anada, 12223

#ot until
e.g. #ot until *anuary will I have a holiday.

#owhere
e.g. #owhere had Susan seen a more beautifully decorated room.

4nly after
!his is usually used with the simple past.
e.g. 4nly after the film started did I realise that I5d seen it before.

4n no account67nder no circumstances
e.g. 4n no account should you be absent from your seminars.

4nly then6if6when6later
!his is usually used with the simple past.
e.g. 4nly then did I know what I had got myself into.

8arely6Seldom6#ever
!hese are most commonly used with the present perfect or past perfect, 9 with
modals such as can and could. !he present simple can also be used.
e.g. Seldom have I seen him looking so miserable.
&8arely does a movie make you feel so warm and so uneasy at the same time.& - 8eview
of :earts in Atlantis: in the 0anadian ;rovince, 1<62=62)
#ever in her life had she experienced this exhilarating emotion.
Scarcely6-arely....when
!his is used to refer to an event that "uickly follows another. It is usually used with the
past perfect.
e.g. Scarcely had I arrived home when there was a knock on the door.

So......that
!his is a common inversion, usually used with an ad%ective 9 the verb :be:.
e.g. So exciting was the soap opera, that I forgot to do my >nglish homework.
It can also be used with much.
e.g. So much did she adore *ohn, that she would not give him up.

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Such....that
7sed with the verb :be: and a noun, it means so much or so great.
e.g.
Such was the popularity of the soap opera, that the streets were deserted whenever it
was on.
%ome negative adverbs can cause an inversion & the order is reversed and
the verb goes before the subject.
"xample: ! have never seen such courage. Never have ! seen such courage.
%he rarely left the house. Rarely did she leave the house.
'egative inversion is used in writing, not in spea$ing.
(ther adverbs and adverbial expressions that can be used li$e this:
seldom, scarcely, hardly, not only .....
but also, no sooner .....
than, not until, under no circumstances.
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