Professional Documents
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Inversions PDF
Inversions PDF
So
Ex: So bizarre was his behaviour that his wife called the doctor.
Such
Ex: Such was the complexity of the problem that even the experts were baffled.
As
Short answers
Ex: I am upset. So am I.
I am not feeling upset. Neither am I.
She did not help. Neither did we.
They had finished. So had he.
Conditional sentences
Ex: Should any patient suffer an adverse reaction to this drug, please report this immediately.
Ex: Were the government to spend as much on health services as it does on defence, the nation might be
healthier and happier.
Had the junior doctor not been on duty for eighteen hours without a break this tragedy might not have
happened.
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Subject- Verb inversions
Prepositional phrases of place at the start of the sentence (ex: on one side of the square) with verbs
like hang, stand, sit, lie.
Adverbs or prepositional phrases of movement at the start of the sentence (ex: round the corner, in,
up, out, off) , with verbs like come, run, go, appear, jump, march.
Ex: Round the corner of the church marched the brass band.
Time adverbs at the start of the sentence (ex: next, first, again, then)
In conversational English after here and there principally with the verbs be, come, go.
Negative or restrictive adverbs or phrases at the start of the sentence (ex: never, seldom, rarely, not
only, nowhere, in no way, under no circumstances, on no account, not for one minute, by no means, no
longer, at no time, at no other time, little, in none of, scarcely, scarcely ever, under no roof )
Ex: In no way did the report blame her for the accident.
Not only does he have impeccable manners , he is also exceedingly generous.
Observation!
Ex: No sooner had I got in the bath than the doorbell rang.
Ex: Scarcely had we laid out the picnic things when it began to rain.
Not until, only when, only after + Verb (no inversion). Inversion occurs in the second sentence.
Ex: Only when you’ve finished all your exams may you go out again in the evenings.
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