Subject/verb inversions

Some languages use "the subject/ verb inversion" a lot. French is one
of them, but English isn't! Should you be happy for it? Of course
not!

The phenomenon exists in certain precise cases. They express a

desire from the speaker to give the sentences some "special
effects"!

I) In English, of course, the principal " indication" of the

subject-verb inversion is the interrogative form".
- They had found solutions to their problems.= affirmative
sentence.
=> Structure= Subject+ Verb+ Complements.
=> Had they found solutions to their problems? =
interrogative sentence.

=> Structure= Verb (accompanied by a possible auxiliary)+

Subject+ Complements+ ?

II) Inversion is also used to insist on a meaning or an effect

that the speaker wants to make clear.
1) Using a negative at the beginning of a sentence in order
to insist on a temporal impossibility.
DO TAKE CARE OF "SEMI-
NEGATIVES" ( hardly, scarcely, barely, seldom, See lesson
N° 105025 ); they are following the same patterns as pure
NEGATIVES.

- Never would he have imagined such a rude answer!

- Seldom did he invite her to dinner...

2) In order to express advice, especially if there's a

hesitation to express it. Thus, it's a formal and polite way
to give advice.
 3) In order to express a hypothesis: Had I= If I had.

- Had she known the truth, she'd never have accepted his
apologies!
4) In order to express a similarity of thoughts or actions, " So
have I", "Neither will he". The tag uses the same auxiliary as
in the sentence with a subject/verb inversion.

- "I have already visited the Empire State Building several

times." "So have I."
- "I've never read Plato in Greek. " " Neither have I!"

I do hope you will train and use these patterns which are
seldom used by foreigners. Good luck for the test!