Negative and Excluding Adverbials at the Beginning of the Sentence

When we use a negative or excluding adverbial at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis, the grammar is
different and an inversion occurs. Observe:

1. I had never seen such a terrible performance by this band before.

Never before had I seen such a terrible performance by this band!

2. He will only be able to learn Chinese by going to China.

Only by going to China will he be able to learn Chinese.

3. John rarely goes to the movies alone.

Rarely does John go to the movies alone.

Several adverbials may fit this pattern. Some of the most common are:

ONLY AFTER… ONLY BY “DOING”… IN NO WAY UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE NEVER BEFORE

HARDLY EVER NEVER RARELY

Exercise: bring the adverbial to the beginning of the sentence and make the necessary changes in structure:

1. The results of the test will only be posted after the weekend.
2. You can only lose weight healthly by eating properly and exercising.
3. I rarely listen to music at work.
4. You can’t eat in class under any circumstance.
5. I have never seen such a terrible movie before.
6. Guessing answers does not affect the test in any way.
7. Susan hardly ever speaks in class.

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