INVERSION
Inversion of the verb
before the subject is a common phenomenon in English sentences. The natural
order of English sentences is (subject + verb + . . . .) but sometimes it
becomes (verb + subject). Inversion is most common with question form of the
sentences. However, there are few other circumstances where inversion of
subject and verb occurs.
We use inversion in
several different situations in English. Inversion just means putting the verb
before the subject. We usually do it in question forms:
•Normal sentence: You are
tired. (The subject is 'you'. It's before the verb 'are'.)
•Question form: Are you
tired? (The verb 'are' is before the subject 'you'. They have changed places.
This is called inversion.)
In most English verb
tenses, when we want to use inversion, we just move the verb to before the
subject. If there's more than one verb, because a verb tense has auxiliary
verbs for example, we move the first verb.
With two verb tenses where we just change the
places of the verb and subject:
•PRESENT SIMPLE with 'BE':
am I / are you / is he
•PAST SIMPLE with 'BE':
were you / was she
With other verbs tenses,
we change the place of the subject and the auxiliary verb (the first auxiliary
verb if there is more than one). We don't move the other parts of the verb:
•PRESENT CONTINUOUS : am I going / are you going
•PAST CONTINUOUS : was he going / were
they going
•PRESENT PERFECT : have we gone / has
she gone
•PRESENT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS: has she been going / have they been going
•PAST PERFECT : had you gone
•PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS : had he been going
•FUTURE SIMPLE : will they go
•FUTURE CONTINUOUS : will you be going
•FUTURE PERFECT : will they have
gone
•FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS : will she have been going
•MODAL VERBS : should I go /
would you go
There are two tenses where
we need to add 'do / does / did' to make the question form. We also need to
change the main verb back to the infinitive. This is usually still called
inversion. •Present simple with any verb except 'be' (add 'do' or 'does'): do
you go / does he go
•Past simple with any verb
except 'be' (add 'did'): did we go / did they go
Inversion in other
expressions: Many other negative and affirmative sentences use inversion.
1. Affirmative and
negative agreement: only after so, nor, neither but not in the cases of either
and too.
Examples:
◦Alex went to the club,
and so did his brother.
◦Robert hasn’t reached
yet, neither has his companion.
◦Andrew Russel is not a footballer,
and nor is Alex.
2. Negative adverbial
expressions at the beginning of the sentence.
Examples:
◦In no way should we
accept their offer.
◦Little did they know
about me.
◦Hardly ever do they talk
to each other.
3. Beginning with only
& not only.
Examples:
◦Only by researching can
you solve this problem.
◦Only after lunch, can you
play.
◦Not only did they know
singing, but they also know dancing.
4. Adverbials at the
beginning of a sentence.
Examples:
◦Hardly had I reached
there, he left.
◦Seldom does the teacher
finishes his class early.
5. Adverbs of place (here
& there) at the beginning of a sentence. This type of sentence requires the
main verb (not the auxiliary verb) to come before the subject.
Examples:
◦There is a lady standing
in front of the club.
◦Here comes the king.
◦There are so many people
in that field.
6. Some prepositional phrases at the beginning
of a sentence.
Examples:
◦Into the room came she
when I was sleeping.
◦Behind me cries a child.
◦Over the table hangs a painting.
7. Conditionals without
the conjunction
Examples:
◦Had he been there, he
could have seen it.
◦Were I the president, I
could do the good things.
◦Were he my brother, I
would support him to reach his dreams.
◦Should you go there, I
will go