Inversion and Emphasis Part 1

A very effective way to make our language more emphatic is by inverting the order of a
sentence. Emphasis through inversion usually appears in the written language and is
considered formal in register.

Look at these sentences:

1. I have never seen such a beautiful sunset.
2. Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset.

In sentence 1 the normal word order is evident. In sentence 2 inversion is used to

emphasise the fact that in your whole life this is the most beautiful sunset you have
seen. In this case we invert because the sentence begins with the negative adverbial
‘never’.

Other examples of negative adverbials include: rarely, not since, hardly, never, before,
not until, little, at no time. We also invert after ‘No/’Only’ expressions which
include under no circumstances, not only, no sooner, in no way, only when, etc.

Types of inverted sentences

Negative adverbs/adverb phrases

Inversion is used when the sentence beings with a negative adverb or adverb phrase (as in
the examples above). This is used to make the sentence sound surprising and also quite
formal.

• Seldom have I heard such beautiful music.

('Seldom' is at the beginning, so we use inversion. This sentence
emphasizes how beautiful the music is.)
• I have seldom heard such beautiful music.
(This is a normal sentence with no special emphasis.)
The sentence is usually formed by:

Negative
Adverbial + Auxiliary + + Main
+
or or Subject Object
verb
No/Only Modal verb
expression

Examples:

such a
Never before have I eaten
delicious meal

than the
No sooner had we arrived performance
started.

Here are some negative adverbs/adverb phrases that are often used with inversion:

Hardly had I got to work when my boss gave me three reports to

Hardly
complete.

Never Never before had she seen such a beautiful view.

Seldom Seldom do we eat such delicious food.

Rarely Rarely will you hear such beautiful music.

Only then Only then did I realise what had happened.

Not only is travelling memorable but it allows us to meet new

Not only ... but
people and learn a lot about different cultures.

No sooner No sooner had we got on the plane than I started feeling unwell.

Scarcely Scarcely had I arrived at the theatre when the play began.

Only later Only later did she really think about the danger she had been in.

Nowhere Nowhere have I ever seen such green fields.

Little Little does she know!

In no way In no way do I agree with what the article says.

On no account On no account should you touch that button.

Under no
Under no circumstances should you open that door.
circumstances

After some expressions the inversion can appear in the second part of the sentence.

Example:
Not until I had seen my result did I really believe I had passed.

The word order in the first part of the sentence ‘I had seen’ is normal and the inversion
is evident in the second part ‘did I really believe’

Further examples:
• Not since we were in Rome have we eaten such delicious ice cream
• Only when I had handed in the report did I feel I could finally relax.
• Only after she’d tasted the cake did she understand why it was so popular.
• Only by working through the night did they manage to finish the project.

Note: Inversion is only used when the adverb modifies the whole phrase and not when it
modifies the noun: Hardly anyone arrived on time. (No inversion.)

Time to Practice 1:
Rewrite the sentences below changing the word order as necessary so as to use inversion.

1. Pete had never been in such a luxurious hotel.

_______________________________________________
2. I seldom do much exercise.
_______________________________________________
3. You should on no account pay for the bill.
_______________________________________________

4. We had no sooner got off the bus than a car crashed into it.

_______________________________________________

5. 5. I in no way want my company’s name associated with this project.

_______________________________________________
How to include negative inversion in your writing
When writing Task 2 essays, including negative inversion can help to give more
emphasis to what you are trying to express. As it is considered a more complex
structure using it correctly can help you to improve your band score.

Example of inverted sentences from Writing Part 2:

Not only do young people have to take global warming more seriously, but also
be more active about it.
Only by cycling more and opting for public transport instead of our private cars,
can we finally begin to stop global warming.