Notes

Unit 15 Inversion
Grammar
Channel

Inversion means putting the verb before the subject. We use inversion in some grammatical
structures and for emphasis in literary and descriptive speech and writing. One common
way we use inversion is in questions.
e-Dictionary
Inversion occurs in the following structures:

Situation Example(s) Remarks

• 
questions & verb
subject Inversion does not occur in wh-questions
question tags Did she pass the test? beginning with
You’re telling the truth, who whose which what etc.
aren’t you? when these words are the subject of the
verb
subject sentence.
subject
Who invented the telephone? subject
Compare: Who did you see at the party?

• exclamations Isn’t it cold today! Caution

Here comes the teacher! In exclamations beginning with here
There goes the train! and there, inversion is used only when
the subject is a noun. Inversion does not
occur when the subject is a pronoun.
7 Here comes he!
subject
3 Here he comes!
3 Here comes the sun!
subject
7 There goes it!
3 There it goes!
3 There goes my bus!

• 
emphatic Never have I heard such a strange These structures are very formal/
sentences story. old-fashioned. If negative expressions
beginning Rarely do people use typewriters are not placed at the beginning, there
with a nowadays. is no inversion.
negative Not only did he lie to you, but he  I have never heard such a strange story.
word or idea also kept us in the dark.  He not only lied to you, but he also
Under no circumstances would Nicole kept us in the dark.
change her mind.
Hardly had he returned from the
journey when he fell ill.
No sooner had the teacher entered
the classroom than the students
stopped talking.

• 
after Only through constant practice can These structures are very formal. When
adverbial we improve our language skills. the sentence is rearranged, the inversion
expressions disappears.
beginning Compare:  We can improve our language
with only skills only through constant
practice.
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 Unit 15

Situation Example(s) Remarks

• 
after as Tony failed the test, as did Compare: 
Tony failed the test and some
(to compare) some of his classmates. of his classmates did, too.

• after
neither, nor Paul: I’m bored with this We can use so instead of yes in short
and so programme. answers.
Ted:  o am I. Let’s turn off
S
the television and read This watch is So it is. *
instead.
expensive. (= Yes, it is.)

Lily: I don’t like pork.

A B
Kate: Neither do I.
* In this case there is no inversion because the
Ann: I can’t swim. subject is a pronoun.
Bob: Nor can I. Compare: 

Jane is here. So is her ex-boyfriend.

(= Her ex-boyfriend
is here, too.)
A B

• insentences Twice has he been warned to Writing focus

beginning with keep away from drugs.
adverbs or adverbial This structure, as well as many
expressions which other inversion structures introduced
are not usually in this unit, is most common in
found at the start of formal or literary writing.
sentences

• conditional Should you need any help, These are formal structures, and are
sentences not please let us know. common in literary writing.
introduced by if Had I been there, I might Compare: If you (should) need any help,
have been able to help. please let us know.
If I had been there, I might
have been able to help.

• after
reporting ‘Show me your ID card,’ said Caution
verbs the policeman.
This is common in storytelling. We
reporting verb cannot put the verbs say or ask before
the subject when the subject
is a pronoun.
7 ‘Show me your ID card,’
said he.
3 ‘Show me your ID card,’
subject
he said.

• after
adverbial On top of the mountain This is common in descriptive writing.
expressions of place stands an old temple. When adverbial expressions such as
near the house, under the hill or not
far from the station are placed at the
beginning of a sentence, they are
usually followed by an intransitive verb
(come, lie, stand, etc.) and the subject.
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 Notes All answers

Grammar Practice
A Complete the sentences with the words in brackets using inversion. Use the correct forms of the
verbs. Add do, does or did where necessary. The first one has been done for you as an example.

is your birthday
1 When (your birthday/be)?

2 Never (I/see) such spectacular fireworks.

3 ‘I called you at home last night but nobody answered. You weren’t there,
(you/be)?’ (Howard/say).

4 Where is Alex? Rarely (he/be) late for business appointments.

5 Linda is a vegetarian, as (her friend Jessie/be).

6 In no way (they/can/possibly help) you.

7 Under no circumstances (I/would/take) drugs.

8 ‘I think it’s important to have a sense of responsibility.’‘

(I/so).’

9 Only by (constant practice/athletes/

can/achieve) improved performances.

10 In the middle of the square (a bronze statue/

stand). It has been there for decades.

11 ‘My sister doesn’t like chocolate.’ ‘ (my brother/

neither).’

12 The results won’t be available until tomorrow. Only then

(we/will/be able to) consider further action.

13 Not far from the village (a big lake/lie) which attracts

a lot of tourists.

14  (you/should/have) any other questions about the

product, please do not hesitate to let us know.

15 At no time (she/mention) that she was Henry’s sister.

16 Hardly (I/lock) the front door when I heard the telephone ring.

17 No sooner (they/leave) than it started to rain heavily.

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Notes All answers Unit 15

B Read the sentences and check if the subject and verb in each sentence are in the correct order. Tick
the correct sentences and underline any inversions. Correct any mistakes and write the corrected
sentences in full in the spaces provided. The first three have been done for you as examples.

1  I don’t know where did he go last night. Tip:

Sometimes,
I don’t know where he went last night. all you need
to do is
reorder the
2 ✓ Often have I wondered what the future holds for me.
 subject and
verb; at
other times,
you might
have to add
do, does, did,
3 ✓ The boy who was kidnapped is the son of a rich businessman.
 etc.

4  The film not only attracted much attention, but also much criticism.

5  She didn’t know who did she bump into in the dark.

6  Little she know that her health would deteriorate so rapidly.

7  There goes your granddad. Once he starts talking about his childhood he doesn’t
stop.

8  Janet isn’t good at cooking. Nor her sister is.

9  You had been in her position, you would have known why she did that.

10  The scientists tried to locate where was the sunken ship.

11  Only then we did realize what a serious mistake we had made.

Extra Practice

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Language Practice
C Email
Complete the email by filling in each blank using the words given in brackets. Use inversion wherever
possible. Add a form of do or will if necessary. The first one has been done for you as an example.

Dear Jana

How have you been? You mentioned in your last email that you were working on a project that had to
involve humans and wildlife. (1) Have you come up (you/come up) with a topic yet? I guess it
will be due next month, (2) (it/not)? I had never done a school project with
this type of subject matter before, but I saw a video last week and thought it might be a great topic for
you to include in your project.

(3) (you/hear) of a zoologist by the name of Kevin Richardson?

(4) (rarely/people/associate/not) wild predators with danger, but
Richardson is an obvious exception. (5) (not only/you/see/often)
films of him hugging lions, but you can also see lots of films of him interacting with hyenas and
other wild animals. The amazing thing about Richardson, also known as the Lion Whisperer, is that
(6) (not only/he/have) an uncanny ability to bond with untamed
lions, but he is also known to have been accepted into other groups of wild animals. In a short
documentary titled GoPro: Lions – The New Endangered Species?, you can see that lions enjoy being
patted by Richardson, as (7) (hyenas/do). In the documentary, Richardson
explains that hyenas are often misunderstood and have an undeserved reputation, and because of this,
seldom (8) (people/try) to understand these animals, which he considers
‘loving’ and ‘friendly’.

Richardson’s story made me realize that only through knowledge and understanding (9)
(we/can/help) preserve endangered wildlife. (10)
(I/recommend) the documentary many times to my friends, and I have never received any negative
comments from them. Given that all your classmates will have grown up in Hong Kong with very little
chance to interact with wildlife, (11) (you/think/not) it’d be an interesting
topic to introduce to them? (12) (you/should) have any problem finding the

178 video, let me know.

Notes All answers Unit 15

I also remember you told me that you would like to take a pottery class. Well, (13)
(I/so)! I’ve asked some of my friends to go with me before but (14)
(anyone/rarely/will/agree) to go. (15) (it/be) fun for us to go together? Let
me know if you are interested.

Cheers
Marianne

D Article
Read the following article (Version 1). Rewrite the underlined parts using inversion and the words
given in brackets, if any (Version 2). Keep the meaning of the original sentences. The first one has
been done for you as an example.

Version 1

(1) We have never been so spoilt when it comes to video gaming. Nowadays, you can even
work out whilst you’re gaming. (2) Yes, the latest craze, known as active gaming, is here.

Up until now, (3) if you had wanted to exercise, you would have had to put down your
gaming controller to hit the gym. Now, an active gaming console investment may be the
way to go. This way, you can keep fit whilst working on improving your highest score.
(4) Very convenient, I hope you agree.

The great thing is that this new trend has become particularly popular with children.
(5) If we were back in the not-so-distant past, kids would be playing outside. Nowadays,
many parents are concerned about their increasingly lazy lifestyles. Perhaps (6) their
interests need appealing to so we can encourage them into regular exercise. And with this
new style of gaming, (7) children can exercise at home, but they can also enjoy the
competitive gaming technology that they have come to love.

The demand to get our kids more active has meant that game designers have begun
including more full body movements. That’s not to say, though, that this is just for the
young ones. Feedback and reports have shown that (8) adults love active gaming along
with children. With this in mind, if you would like to get into yoga or even jogging, there
are games and consoles on the market to help you do just that. (9) So, you shouldn’t wait!

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Version 2

(1)
Never have we been so spoilt when it comes to video gaming. Nowadays, you

can even work out whilst you’re gaming. Yes, (2)

(here/come) known as active gaming!

Up until now, (3) (should/you), you would have

had to put down your gaming controller to hit the gym. Now, an active gaming console

investment may be the way to go. This way, you can keep fit whilst working on improving

your highest score. (4) (don’t/think/that’s)?

The great thing is that this new trend has become particularly popular with children.

(5) , kids would be playing outside.

Nowadays, many parents are concerned about their increasingly lazy lifestyles. Perhaps

(6) (only/through) encourage them

to do regular exercise. And with this new style of gaming, (7)

(not/only), but they can also enjoy the competitive gaming

technology that they have come to love.

The demand to get our kids more active has meant that game designers have been

including more full body movements. That’s not to say, though, that this is just for the

young ones. Feedback and reports have shown that (8)

(children love active gaming/and/so). With this in mind, if

you would like to get into yoga or even jogging, there are games and consoles on the

market to help you do just that. So (9) (what/wait)?

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Notes All answers Unit 15

Paper 2 Paper 3

You may be asked to write an editorial or an opinion piece/op-ed article in the HKDSE
English Language Exam Paper 2 or Paper 3. The former is written by an editor of a publication
to express the publication’s views and opinions on a particular issue, while the latter is written
by other people and submitted to a publication for similar purposes.
To highlight your messages, you may use inversion in your editorial/opinion piece. Inversion
allows you to put emphasis on certain words or phrases and adds variety to your piece of
writing.

E Opinion piece
Complete the opinion piece using the correct forms of the words given in brackets. Use inversion
wherever possible. The first one has been done for you as an example.

The present
continuous tense
Is sustainable fashion really ‘sustainable’? is used here to
emphasize that
by Venus Tse the action (i.e.
creating negative
effects) is still in
Our desperate need to look stylish is taking a toll on the planet. (1) Did you know progress. Refer to
Unit 1 for more
(you/know) that the fast fashion industry is responsible for 10% of the world’s total information about
the present
carbon emissions? What’s more, the fashion industry is one of the top consumers continuous tense.

of water. However, rarely (2) (we/think) about the

We may use the
world’s water supply. Now, I am sure you are feeling guilty about buying too many connective what’s
more to add new
information. Refer
unnecessary garments – as (3) (we/all/be), so you are to Unit 28 for
more information.
not alone.

We may use
Many times (4) (we/tell) that we can begin to rectify however, but, etc.
to show contrast.
this imbalance by embracing more sustainable clothes and brands, but what exactly Refer to Unit 26
for more
information.
is sustainable fashion? (5) (it/be) the real deal or just

a buzzword thrown around by retailers to make us feel good and guilt-free? If you

think it is the latter, (6) (so/we).

(7) (this phenomenon/know) as ‘green-washing’.

Brands give the illusion of sustainability to convince (8)

(their customers/go on/consume). They realize that fast

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We may use as a
result to indicate
the effect of an fashion is on the way out and sustainable fashion is on the way in. As a result, they
action. Refer to
Unit 24 for more do the bare minimum so that (9)
information on
explaining cause (they/can/claim/be/sustainable) while carrying on with destructive practices. We have
and effect.
seen it for ourselves. Within every high street store (10)

(rails of/new green labels/stand) claiming the products are

‘sustainable’. To the untrained eye, (11) (this/be/great).

We can shop cheaply and save the planet at the same time.

(12) (we/should/think) a little deeper, though, we would

We may use in see that this is just a clever marketing technique. In reality, (13)
order to to
express the (the whole fashion industry/need) an entire upheaval
purpose of an
action. Refer to in order to become more sustainable. This is because (14)
Unit 25 for more
information. (famous fashion brands/continue/use) masses of

waste (15)

(whether/their cotton/

slightly more sustainably/source/or not).

‘The most sustainable clothes you can wear are the ones you already own,’
(16) (Catherine Wu/explain), a sustainability

expert. (17)

(only/through/consume/less/we/can/help/the planet/more),

so from today, make sure you consume less and save more.

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