S3 Grammar – Inversion

Name: ________________________________ ( ) Date: ____________________________

Inversion

Inversion

 Inversion involves changing the normal word orderof a sentence

 The structure of a normal statement is usually subject + verb

 While it is commonly used in questions (‘Are you ready?’), it is also used for emphasis in
statements

 2 major types of inversion: subject-auxiliary inversion and subject-verb inversion

It occurs:

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S3 Grammar – Inversion
1. in questions
e.g. Are you hungry?
What have you done to solve the problem?
Inversion does not occur in wh-questions beginning with who, whose, which, what when these
words are used as the subject of a sentence.
Which sentence is inverted?

Who invented the computer?

in question tags.
e.g. He loves her very much, doesn’t he?
They cried, didn’t they?

Exercise 1
Complete the following dialogues with the given words by using the inversion technique.
1. James: When is your birthday (your birthday/be)?
Mike: May 24.
2. Jane: I called you last night but nobody answered the phone. You were home, weren’t you
(be/you/not)?
Megan: Yes, I was home all evening.
3. Mary: I would like to invite Thomas to the cinema this Sunday. What do you think (you/think)?
Paul: I think that’s a great idea.
4. Lillian: Why does your sister look (do/ your sister/look) so unhappy?
Amy: She just broke up with her boyfriend.
5. Julia: We’re going to the country park. Want to come along?
Jackie: In this weather? Whose idea is that (that/be)?
6. Sam: Why don’t you tell me where she is? (you /not tell/ me)
Alina: She told me to keep it as a secret.
7. Chloe: You are going to get a swab test tomorrow, aren’t you (be/you/not)?
Nathan: Yes, I have already booked the afternoon slot. Your sister hasn’t booked it, has
she(have/she)?

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S3 Grammar – Inversion
2. Subject-auxiliary inversion

Conditional sentences: Inversion can be used with “Should, Were, Had” in conditionals
when “If” is omitted.
Type 1: Should you see him, tell him to call me.
= If you should see him, tell him to call me.
Type 2: Were I you, I would cancel my appointment.
= If I were you, I would cancel my appointment.
Type 3: Had he known, he would have solved the problem.
= If he had known, he would have solved the problem.

3. Subject-verb inversion
Place Adverbs/ Prepositional Phrases + Be/Verbs Here lies the body of a dead bird.
+ Subject Here is your coffee.
There stood Michael.
There were some grapes.
All along one wall climbed a beautiful rose.
Here comes my aunt! (exclamation)
There goes the taxi! (exclamation)
Time Adverbs + Be/Verbs + Subject Then came the turning point in the game as he
scored.
Next is the news.
Reporting verbs + Subject “Can you find it?” asked David.
“I have never seen it,” said Helen.

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S3 Grammar – Inversion
#Exceptions:
We cannot invert subject and auxiliary if there Only on Sundays can we watch TV.
is no time expression/ prepositional phrase Only on campus can we meet our teachers face to
after ‘only’. face.
Only can we watch TV. / Only can we meet our
teachers face to face.
The expressions after ‘No doubt’ cannot be No doubt Grandma will pass down her wealth to
inverted. him.
No doubt will Grandma pass down her wealth to
him.
Subject-verb inversion is unlikely if the subject Here comes it.
is a weak (non-stressed) definite pronoun. Here it comes. / Here comes your coffee.
Under the tree sat he.
Under the tree sat Tom.

Complete the following sentences by using inversion. You will be invited to share your
sentences with the whole class verbally later.
1. Never had I _______________________________________________________________ before this
pandemic.
2. Only later did I realize ______________________________________________________________.
3. Under no circumstances can we
____________________________________________________________________________________.

Exercise 2

Your friend Mark is talking to you. Respond by using the information given with ‘so’, ‘nor’ or ‘neither’. Two
examples have been done for you.
Example 1: Your brother is a member of the debate team.
Mark: I’ve joined the debate team. You: So has my brother.
Example 2: You’re not keen on seafood.
Mark: I don’t like prawns. You: Neither do I. (Or: Nor do I.)
1. You think that everybody should be responsible for what they do.
Mark: I think it is important to have a sense of responsibility. You: So do I.
2. You have a cold.
Mark: I’m not feeling very well today. You: Neither/ Nor am I.
3. Your grandparents love to drink tea in the morning.
Mark: My parents love to drink tea more than anything else. You: So do my grandparents.
4. Your father usually has breakfast at home.
Mark: My father rarely leaves home without eating breakfast. You: So does my father.
5. You are a fan of Tom Cruise.
Mark: I never miss any of Tom Cruise’s films. You: Neither/Nor do I.

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S3 Grammar – Inversion
Exercise 3: Read the following sentences with SVO (subject-verb-object) structure and
change them into inverted sentences.
1. Never have I heard such a strange story.
= I have never heard such a strange story.
2. Seldom do they visit us.
= They seldom visit us.
3. Little did she know about the students’ progress.
= She knew little about the students’ progress.
4. Rarely have we watched such a moving film.
= We have rarely watched such a moving film.
5. Not until Monday did he return the camera to me.
= He did not return the camera to me until Monday.
6. Nowhere can you buy such cheap jeans.
= You cannot buy such cheap jeans at anywhere.
7. No sooner had he arrived than he called us.
= As soon as he had arrived, he called us.
8. Hardly had he returned from the journey when he fell ill.
= He had hardly returned from the journey, he fell ill.
9. Under no circumstances will I give way to his demands.
= I will not give way to his demands under any circumstances.
10. In no way can they help you.
= They cannot help you in any way.
11. At no time was I aware of what was happening.
= I was unaware of what was happening at all times.
12. On no account will she forgive him.
= She will not forgive him on any account.
13.*Not a single piece of useful information has she got from the book.
= She hasn’t got any useful information from the book.
14. Gina doesn’t drive and neither/nor does Nina.
= Gina and Nina don’t drive.

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S3 Grammar – Inversion
Exercise 4: Read the following inverted sentences beginning with adverbs and change them
into sentences with SVO (subject-verb-object) structure.
e.g. 1. Often have I heard that corruption doesn’t pay.
= I have often heard that corruption doesn’t pay.
2. Twice has he been warned to keep away from drugs.
= He has been warned twice to keep away from drugs (twice).
3. So desperate was their situation that they decided to sell their house.
= Their situation was so desperate that they decided to sell their house.
4. Only after a hot debate did they agree to compromise.
= They only agreed to compromise only after a hot debate.
5. Not only was he the producer but he was also the director of the film.
= He was not only the producer but also the director of the film.

Exercise 5
Some words are in wrong order in each sentence. Underline the mistakes and correct them.
e.g. You aren’t telling the truth, you are? are you

1. She asked me what was my decision. my decision was

2. Only by constant practice we can improve our English. can we

3. Here our guests come! comes our guests

4. Often we have heard that smoking is hazardous to health. have we

5. Under no circumstances you should do it. should you

6. I had been there, I would have scolded him for his dirty trick. Had I

7. Only if you invite her, she will come to your party. will she

8. Jane hasn’t returned our calls and neither Lily has. has Lily

9. Hardly I had arrived home when it began to rain. had I

10. On no account you should be absent. should you

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S3 Grammar – Inversion
Exercise 6
Rewrite the following sentences using the words given, without changing the meaning.
e.g. As soon as she entered the room, they stopped gossiping.
No sooner had she entered the room than they stopped gossiping.
I have never met such a ridiculous man!
Never have I met such a ridiculous man!
2. Seldom have I seen a better football player.
I have seldom seen a better football player.
3. She found a job only last week.
Only last week did she find a job.
4. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also rich.
She is not only beautiful but also rich.
5. Not until Mr. Chan is here will we begin our lunch meeting.
We will not begin our lunch meeting until Mr. Chan is here.
6. We will pay you only after you finish the job.
Only after you finish the job will we pay you.
7. Only if you study hard will you pass the exam.
You will pass the exam only if you study hard.
8. We had such a warm winter only once before.
Only once before did we have such a warm winter.
9. I would not buy those pirated CDs under any circumstances.
Under no circumstances would I buy those pirated CDs.
10 The bird flew out when I opened the cage door.
Out flew the bird when I opened the cage door.