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23-Inversion With Negative Adverbials - Adding Emphasis

This document discusses inversions with negative adverbials in formal English. It provides examples of sentences where a negative or restrictive adverb is placed at the beginning and followed by an inversion of the subject and auxiliary verb. Common adverbs used for this include nowhere, only now, not until. The inversion is used to make the sentence more emphatic. Certain adverbials like only when require a subordinate clause after them, with the inversion occurring in the main clause. Adverbs of frequency like never can also be used with inversion when discussing experiences, using the present perfect or past perfect tense.

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91 views

23-Inversion With Negative Adverbials - Adding Emphasis

This document discusses inversions with negative adverbials in formal English. It provides examples of sentences where a negative or restrictive adverb is placed at the beginning and followed by an inversion of the subject and auxiliary verb. Common adverbs used for this include nowhere, only now, not until. The inversion is used to make the sentence more emphatic. Certain adverbials like only when require a subordinate clause after them, with the inversion occurring in the main clause. Adverbs of frequency like never can also be used with inversion when discussing experiences, using the present perfect or past perfect tense.

Uploaded by

takinardi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Grammar » B2 Grammar lessons and exercises » Inversion with negative adverbials – adding emphasis

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What is an inversion with a negative adverbial?


 
In formal English we can place a negative or restrictive adverb at the beginning of a sentence to make the sentence more emphatic or dramatic. When we do
this, the adverb is then followed by an inversion: auxiliary verb + subject (+ verb). See the example below:

• I could find my keys nowhere. ⇒ Nowhere could I find my keys. 

When there is no auxiliary verb, we use do/does (present) or did (past) as auxiliary.

• I understand the true meaning only now. ⇒ Only now do I understand the true meaning. 
• I didn’t say anything until she arrived. ⇒ Not until she arrived did I say anything. 

Common adverbs used with this structure


 
In the table below you can see some of the most common negative or restrictive adverbials that are sometimes used at the beginning of the sentence for
emphasis.
 
 

hardly, barely, scarcely, no sooner


 
We normally use hardly … when, barely … when, scarcely … when, and no sooner … than in narratives with past perfect in the inversion.

We use no sooner … than (NOT that, or when)


 

Adverbial + clause + inversion


 
Note that after some adverbials, such as only if and only when we use a subordinate clause (subject + verb), and that the inversion is never in the subordinate
clause, but in the main verb of the sentence. Check the sentence below:

• Only when I sleep can I forget about the accident. (NOT: Only when do I sleep I can…)

The same happens with other adverbials, such as not since and not until; we use a subordinate clause (subject + verb) and the inversion is never in the
subordinate clause, but in the main verb of the sentence. Check the sentence below:

• Not since I was child have I had such a great time. (NOT: Not since was I child I’ve had …)

If you are in doubt, it’s always useful to look at the sentence without the negative adverbial at the beginning.
• I can forget about the accident only when I sleep. 
• I haven’t had such a great time since I was a child.

The main subject and verb are at the beginning of the sentence, and this is the element that must be in the inversion.
 

not
 
We must always use not followed by another element before the inversion.

• Not often can we see such great expressions of art. (NOT Not can we see such great expressions of art often.)

Adverbs of frequency
 
We can also use inversion after the negative or restrictive adverbs of frequency, such as seldom, rarely, or never.

We often use never to talk about experiences. In that case, we normally use present perfect or past perfect.

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