Ch 9
Inversion after Negative Adverbials
Never have I… · Not only… but also · No sooner… than · Under no circumstances
After a negative or limiting word at the start of a sentence, English uses question word order: auxiliary + subject. It sounds formal and emphatic.
I have never seen such a mess.
Normal.
Never have I seen such a mess.
Inverted — more dramatic.
Never / Rarely / Seldom + auxiliary + subject + verb
Rarely does she complain.
No auxiliary in the normal sentence → add do / does / did.
Seldom have we had such good weather.
Not only is he funny, but he's also kind.
Not only did she win, but she also broke the record.
Only the first part is inverted; after but the order is normal.
No sooner + had + subject + PP … than · Hardly / Scarcely + had + subject + PP … when
No sooner had we sat down than the phone rang.
Hardly had I arrived when it started to rain.
no sooner → than · hardly → when.
Under no circumstances should you open this door.
At no time did I say that.
In no way is this your fault.
Never I have seen such a view.
→
Never have I seen such a view.
auxiliary before subject
Rarely she complains.
→
Rarely does she complain.
add does
No sooner had we arrived when it rained.
→
No sooner had we arrived than it rained.
no sooner … than
Not only he is clever, but also kind.
→
Not only is he clever, but he's also kind.
invert after not only
Use inversion to make these more dramatic.
1
Describe the best meal you've ever had, starting with Never…
2
Describe a busy day: No sooner had I… than…
3
Write a school or gym rule starting with Under no circumstances…
4
Praise a friend: Not only… but also…
Recap
never / rarely / seldom
+ auxiliary + subject
Never have I seen …
not only
+ inversion … but also
Not only did she win, but …
no sooner
had + subject + PP … than
No sooner had we sat down than …
hardly / scarcely
had + subject + PP … when
Hardly had I arrived when …
under no circumstances
+ modal + subject
Under no circumstances should you …