Inversion and Question tags Inversion after negative adverbs

Inversion and Question tags

Inversion after negative adverbs In formal speech and writing there is a special construction when the sentence begins with a negative adverb (or one with negative meaning). The subject and the verb are inverted from the normal form to a question form.

Not only • Harry not only missed the train, but also lost his case. (normal form) • Not only did Harry miss the train, but (he) also lost his case. (inversion)

No sooner With no sooner the main verb is always in the past perfect. • Tim had no sooner left, than the phone rang. (normal form) • No sooner had Tim left, than the phone rang. (inversion)

Under no circumstances • You shouldn't touch these wires under any circumstances. (normal form) • Under no circumstances should you touch these wires. (inversion)

Seldom • I have seldom watched a better match. (normal form) • Seldom have I watched a better match. (inversion)

Other expressions which are followed by an inversion are: little, never, not once, only then, only after, rarely

With some expressions we can begin the sentence with an adverb and then put the verb before the subject. With come and go we can start the sentence with an adverb of place. This construction is used with exclamations. It is an informal usage. • Here comes Jack! • There goes my money! • Up went the plane into the clouds! • Along the road came Jim.

With live and stand we can start the sentence with an adverb of place. This is a formal usage. • In this house lived Charles Dickens. • On a hill outside the town stands the castle

With be we can begin the sentence with now. • Now is the best time to visit the Channel Islands.

Inversion in conditional sentences We can use clauses with inversion instead of certain kinds of if clauses. Compare: • It would be a serious setback, if the talks were to fail • It would be a serious setback, were talks to fail. • If you should need more information, please telephone our main office. • Should you need more information telephone our main office. • If Alex had asked, I would have been able to help. • Had Alex asked, I would have been able to help.

Note The sentences with inversion are rather more formal than those with 'if. Notice that in negative clauses with inversion, we don't use contracted forms: • Had he not resigned, we would have been forced to sack him. (not Hadn't he. . . )

Inversion in comparisons with 'as' and 'than' • The cake was excellent, as was the coffee. (or. . . as the coffee was. ) • I believed, as did my colleagues, that the plan would work. (or. . . as my colleagues did. . . ) • Research shows that children living in villages watch more television than do their counterparts in inner city areas, (or. . . than their counterparts do. . . ) We prefer to use inversion after as and than in formal written language. Notice that we don't invert subject and verb when the subject is a pronoun.

Inversion after 'so + adjective. . . that'; 'such + be. . . that'; 'neither. . . /nor. . . ' Compare these pairs of sentences: • Her business was so successful that Marie was able to retire at the age of 50. or • So successful was her business, that Marie was able to retire at the age of 50. • The weather conditions became so dangerous that all mountain roads were closed. or • So dangerous did weather conditions become, that all mountain roads were closed.

Note • We can use so + adjective at the beginning of a clause to give special emphasis to the adjective. • When we do this, the subject and verb are inverted. A. So tired David was that he went straight to bed. B. So tired was David that he went straight to bed. Correct B

We can use such + be at the beginning of a clause to emphasise the extent or degree of something. The subject and verb are inverted. Compare: • Such is the popularity of the play that theatre is likely to be full every night. or • The play is so popular that theatre is likely to be full every night.

We invert the subject and verb after neither and nor when these words begin a clause: • For some time after the explosion Jack couldn't hear, and neither could he see. • The council never wanted the new supermarket to be built, nor did local residents.

Question tags

Sometimes a simple statement is too short and does not help the conversation to develop in a friendly way. • You're French. The other person does not know what to say. We can add a tag to the end of the statement so that it becomes a question. • You're French, aren't you? Now the other person knows that they have to reply and the conversation can continue.

Tags are formed using auxiliaries (do, be, have or a modal). • Helen lives here, … doesn't she? • You left early, … didn't you? • Jack was born in Italy, … wasn't he? • You will help me, … won't you? • Someone's got to pay, . . haven't they?

A positive statement has a negative tag, and expects the answer Yes. • A: You agree with me, don't you? • B: Yes, I do.

A negative statement has a positive tag, and expects the answer No. • A: You don't take sugar, do you? • B: No, I don't.

It is possible for a positive tag to follow a positive statement; • to express interest • ask for confirmation. BUT…. this is less common. • So you like working here, do you? Tags with will and won't can be used after imperatives. • Don't drive too fast, will you?

Let's. . . has a tag formed with shall • Let's have a drink, shall we?

Choose the correct option a) Let's go to London next weekend, shall we/won't we? b) You shouldn't have told me, did you/should you? c) Jim hasn't been waiting long, was he/has he? d) You won't tell anyone about this, do you/will you? e) You're not doing what I told you, do you/are you?

f) Answer the phone for me, will you/do you? g) George can't have noticed, can he/has he? h) You've got to leave now, don't you/haven't you? i) Pam and Tim got married last year, didn't they/haven't they? j) I don't think John's very friendly, does he/is he

Answers

Rewrite each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the same a) Tony was not only late, but he had left all his books behind. • Not only …………………. . . b) I had no sooner gone to bed than someone rang my doorbell. • No sooner …………………. . . c) I have seldom stayed in a worse hotel. • Seldom …………………. . . d) I have never heard such nonsense! • Never …………………. . . e) I realised only then that I had lost my keys. • Only then …………………. . . f) The economic situation has rarely been worse. • Rarely …………………. . .

g) The manager not once offered us an apology. • Not once …………………. . . h) You should not send money to us by post under any circumstances. • Under no circumstances …………………. . . i) I understood Hamlet only after seeing it on the stage. • Only after seeing Hamlet …………………. . . j) The embassy staff little realised that Ted was a secret agent. • Little …………………. . .

Answers