Emphatic Structure

Inversion after restrictive or negative adverbs

 If certain adverbs with a negative or restrictive meaning are put at
the beginning of a sentence, the subject must follow the verb:

Not only do big companies offer good job opportunities, but they also
promote training to people who occupy those positions.
Emphatic Structure

 If the verb tense is present simple

or past simple, we must use auxiliary verb do:

Only by good luck* did they manage to finish the

report today.

* Restrictive adverbs with only which follow the rule:

only then, only now, only today, only on rare
occasions…
Emphatic Structure

Some adverbs (hardly, rarely, seldom, little, nor,

neither…) with a restrictive or negative meaning,
follow the same rule:
Hardly had I arrived home when the phone rang.

They can also be positioned where they do not

affect the verb/subject order:
I had hardly arrived home when the phone rang.
Emphatic Structure

 Use: we use inversion in written/formal English

to make what we write or say sound stronger
and more emphatic:

Little has he done to help!

Little did they know that the hotel was haunted
by many ghosts!
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
Rewrite the sentences:

 They rarely have the opportunity to travel.

Rarely _________________________________________________
do they have the opportunity to travel.

 We have never been so worried about this situation.

Never _________________________________________________
have we been so worried about this situation.

 Lucy had no sooner finished her paper than she was asked to start a
new one.
No sooner had
_____________________________________________
Lucy finished her paper than she was asked to
______________
start a new one.