English DiA week 3

Inversion → Any word order configuration that changes the order of the phrase /Changes the order
between verb and subj

Inversion type 1 → Permutation of subj and auxiliary

Type 2→ involve the inversion of the verb and the subj

Type 1. Dependent - Auxiliary – Subject –Verb →(subj-aux inversion) It depends on the verb
Type 2. Dependent - Verb – Subject → (subject-verb inversion) No auxiliary needed

-Dependent= complement or adjunct

SUBJ-Aux inversion (Type 1)

→ Dependent-Auxiliary-Subject-Verb Unit 99-100
(remember que usamos estas cosas para decir lo mismo de diferentes formas)
1.Negative inversion
2. Inversion with only-sentences
3. Other subj-aux inversions

1.Negative inversion (negative dependent + Aux +Subj +V

Word order strategy common with negation They have the wish to add a descriptive tonito

Negative dependent + Aux + Subject + V → Not one of them→ Typical dependent

(He knew not one of them) did he know→ Auxiliary subj save only Joshua Hird.

a. Not one of them did he know.

O Aux S V
b*→ incorrect: Not one of them he knew

Conditions that determine wether we can do the inversion

1) The dependent must be negative, often a negative adverbial
2) It expresses clausal negation (not local negation): Negation must affect the whole clause
3) Optioonal stylistic variant. Typically in formal and literary language
• Example of local negation (which does not trigger inversion):
c. Not long afterwards (soon afterwards) he moved to Bonn→ NoT a negatve inversion
→ He moved to Bonn
*Not long afterwards did he move to Bonn → WRONG el not is only negating the adverbial
Where do we use negative inversion?
→ Negative expressions: Never, at no time, by no means, under no circumstances, rarely, seldom,
hardly/scarcely (ever), nowhere, not only, not for a moment, little, few, not until + clause, etc.
a. .Nowhere will you see riches likes this.
b. .Under no circumstances should you attempt to do this.
c. .Seldom does anyone attend mass any more.
d. .Few people would one find suitable for the task.

2. Inversion with only-phrases

·Inversion with only-phrases can be used when only modifies time adverbials, including clausal
adverbials (after, later, now, once, then, when), Conditional clauses or other prepositional phrases

a. Only later did it becaome apparent it was all a lie.

3. Other subj-aux inversions
Inversion w initial → so + adjective, such, such+NP
a. So shameful was what he had done that no one would dare talk about it.
c. Such a fuss would he make that we would all agree with him
→ We give extreme value y por eso inversion

·Conditional inversion (counterfactual): (alternative a poner if)

a. Had he seen the incident, he would have reported it to the police
b. Should you have any questions, let me know
c. Were the project proposal to succeed, then we would to hire more people.
Es más formal pero es lo mismo que el if

·”Optative may” (to express hopes and wishes) and related inversion:
a. May you live in interesting times!

·Comparative inversion with as and than

a. The meal was lovely as was the company
b. Men engage in gossip more than do women
Question verbs→ “I can’t do that”, said John

·Obligatory inversion (osea que es obligatoria) with neither, nor when they introduce an
independent or juxtaposed clause.
a. Mary did not finish her dinner, neither/nor did Jill
b.Neither Mary could affrord it nor Jill Mary could lend her the money
c. *Neither Mary could afford it nor could Jill Mary lend her the money→this is not the contexet in
which you do inversion?

The same applies to “so” in the affirmative analogues

d.Mary finished her diner; so did Jill.

Inversion Type 2→ Dependent-Verb-Subject

→what is known, familiar, given or accessible from previous discourrse and what is novel or new in
the linguistic exchange → there clauses, locative inversion, passives to some extent.
1. .There’s a fly in my soup
2. .In the tank sit a whole bunch of pots
→ aunq la gente prefiere poner estas cosas al final

1. Locative inversion construction

2. There-clauses (existential / presentational construction)
3. Other subj-verb (type II) inversions

Subj-verb inversion (Type II)

1. Locative inversion construction
2. There-clauses (existential / presentational construction)
3. Other subj-verb (type II) inversions

1. Locative inversion construction

Town evacuated as forest fires approach
a. […] A fleet of lorries and coaches arrived in the town in the early morning. Into these vehicles
climbed the sick and elderly, before they headed off to safety across the river […]
subject
• Good example of the locative inversion construction: (a) a locative phrase appears in initial
position, (b) subject-verb inversion, (c) the referent in the locative phrase is familiar (earlier
mention of “lorries and coaches”), (d) referent of the subject as or less familiar than the referent of
the locative phrase. → In locative we dont like to have a referent more familiar than the locative

a. They have a great big tank in the kitchen, and a whole bunch of pots sit in it [=the tank]. They
contain fruit preserves and pickled vegetables.
b. They have a great big tank in the kitchen, and in the tank sit a whole bunch of pots. They
contain fruit preserves and pickled vegetables.
• (a) locative phrase in initial position, (b) subjectverb inversion, (c) familiar referent of
locative phrase, (d) referent of subject as or less familiar than referent of locative (in fact it is
novel). Osea es tan less que es nuevo

a. My neighbours have a huge back yard. A string of beautiful Japanese lanterns runs through it.
b. My neighbours have a huge back yard. Through it runs a string of beautiful Japanese
lanterns.
[run = “extend, have a certain order”]
• (a) locative phrase in initial position, (b) subjectverb inversion, (c) familiar referent of locative
phrase, (d) referent of subject as or less familiar than referent of locative (in fact it is novel).

Conditions for a felicitous (appropiate, congruent) use of locative inversion:

1. The referent of the preposed locative phrase must be more familiar than, or at least as familiar
as, the referent of the inverted subject NP [given referents before novel referents]

2. Locative inversion occurs with bleached-out verbs that have “presentational” value. Typically
they indicate being in a position (be, lie, live, hang, remain, sit, stand; flow, run), or moving into a
position (climb, walk, often with into)(son stative verbs) hay movimiento pero no es el focus, no es
lo importante.

3. As a consequence of (2), locative inversion is not used with dynamic verbs that describe actions
(build, kick, swim). If they do, they tend to be interpreted as describing a “manner of being”,
rather than placing the emphasis on the action itself
a. Along the corridors strode quite a number of busy-looking employees. No usamos strode
to enfasis the actionnof stroding sino la manera en como se me ersa su manera de estar ahí
b. # Along the corridors sneezed quite a number of busy-looking employees.

• Here and there are locative phrases and therefore they may appear in locative inversions:
a. I could see the cemetery from my window. There lay the remains of my ancentors. Sigue siendo
locative, es familiar pq se refiere a cementrio

• Adverbs expressing direction of movement that appear solo can also appear in locative
inversions: Aunq no hay referencial son locative
b. .In came a nurse / Up went the rocket
c. .Into the room came a nurse / Up into space went the rocket.

2. There-clauses (existential / presentational construction)

Prototypical examples:
a. .There is a fly in my soup
b. .There are no news today
c. Unexpectedly, there emerged a number of problems
d. .There remain several points to negotiate
• Technically, (a-b), with be, are existential sentences and (c-d), with other verbs, are
presentational sentences. In practice, the two terms are often used interchangeably

Prototypical examples:
a. .Once upon a time there was a woodcutter (existential). He lived at the edge of a large forest
with his wife and two children, Hansel and Gretel. They were very poor and one night his wife said,
"We must take the children deep into the forest tomorrow and leave them there.“ Very sadly the
woodcutter agreed.

• (a) dummy (has no meaning) there in initial position, (b) subject-verb inversion, (c) referent of
subject is novel.
• Syntactically, the formal subject is arguably there, so inverted or displaced subject is often referred
to as “notional subject”.

There-clauses are similar to locative inversion because:

• Verb and subject are inverted.
• An element appears in sentence initial position.
• Subject NPs with novel referents appear after the verb, thus avoiding having to appear at the
beginning of the sentence
• In fact, the two constructions may combine:
a. .On the pitch that day (there) appeared for the first time a player that would end up
becoming a legend.

Conditions for a felicitous use of there-clauses:

1. The referent of the inverted subject NP must be novel. This means that most often this NP is
indefinite (indefinite NPs = novel referents) [NPs with novel referents are disfavoured in initial
position] (but see below).

2. Like locative inversion, presentational sentences occur with bleached-out or “weak” verbs that
have “presentational” value (appear, arise, emerge, lie, live, occur, sit, stand)
a. Once upon a time there was a woodcutter.
b. #Once upon a time there was the woodcutter.
c. There was a woodcutter in the forest.
d. #There was the woodcutter in the forest.
e. The woodcutter was in the forest.
f. There stood a man outside.
g. #There sneezed a man outside

3. Condition : Inverted subject NPs with all, every, most (these are technically referred to as strong
quantifiers) as determiners are generally not admissible in there-clauses. This also applies to NPs
like two of the students, as opposed to two students.
a. There were some witches / no witches inside the castle
b. #There were most witches/all the witches in the castle
c. There were two students in the playground
d. #There were two of the students in the playground.

4. Condition: Some definite inverted subject NPs are felicitous.

a. A: I can’t imagine what I’m going to make for dinner tonight.
B: Well, there’s that leftover chicken.
b. A: What can I get Mary for her birthday?
B: There’s the new book on bird-watching we were talking about yesterday
Some definite inverted subject NPs are felicitous.
i. In some cases, like (a), familiar referents are reintroduced as novel to make them salient again
(the speaker assumes the referent may have temporarily “forgotten” it).

ii. In some other cases, like (b), the referent is familiar but is new information at the
propositional level: there is a question under discussion (what to get Mary for her birthday) and
“the new book on bird-watching” is the new information that elaborates on this question.
We can divide a proposition i nse minuto 30 kaltura

Other subj-verb inversions

Prototypical examples:
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-
reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed
and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and
prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health
care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we
use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less
profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is
inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

• Copular complement / participle inversion. Other prototypical examples:

a. She was beautiful. Specially remarkable was her oval face.

b. She’s a nice woman, isn’t she? Also a nice woman is our next guest…
c. Two men were hurt yesterday during a convenience store robbery. […] Wounded were Paul
Randolph and Steve Seymour, both from Marina County.

• Here/there + be…
• Here comes, there goes…

a. Here/there was I, having to face a divorce that I did not expect at all.
b. Here comes the sun / There goes my last dollar