RULES OF INVERSION
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| I. Inversion means reversing the normal order of Subject + Verb. | Normal: She is coming. * Inverted". Is she coming? |
| 2. Inversion is used mainly in questions, conditionals, and emphasis. | Are you ready? / Had I knowtu / Never have / seen.- |
| 3. In questions, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject. | He is working -+ Is he working? |
| 4. If there is no auxiliary, use "do/does/did" for inversion. | You like coffee. -+ Do you like coffee? |
| 5. No inversion with "who, what" when they act as subject. | Who broke the glass? (not Did who break the glass?) |
| 6. Inversion happens after negative adverbials for emphasis. | Never have seen such beauty. |
| 7. Common negative adverbs that trigger inversion; | Never; rarely, seldom, hardly, scarcely, barely, little, no sooner |
| 8. "Never before," "rarely," and "seldom" bring the verb before subject. | Rarely have we witnessed such unity. |
| 9. "Hardly," "scarcely," and "no sooner" are often followed by "than/when." | Hardly had I reached when it rained. / No sooner had he left than it began to snow. |
| 10. "Only + adverbial phrase" causes inversion. | Only after the Storm did we go out. |
| 11. "Only when," "Only if," and "Only by" start inverted sentences. | Only when she arrived did the party start. |
| 12, "Not until" brings inversion in the main clause. | Not until I her did I understand. |
| 13. "Under no circumstances" + inversion = formal emphasis, | Under no circumstances should you lie, |
| 14. '"In no way," "At no time," "On no account" all cause inversion. | In no way can this be justified. |
| 15. "Nowhere" at the beginning causes inversion. | Nowhere have I felt so peaceful, |
| 16. "Little" meaning "not at all" also causes inversion. | Little did he know what awaited him. |
| 17. "So + adjective/adverW' can start an inverted | So beautiful was the view that everyone stopped to look. |
| 18. "Such + noun" can start inversion for dramatic effect. | Such was his anger that he broke the chair. |
| 19. Inversion after "Not but also" is Common. | Not only did he win, but he also broke the record, |
| 20. Inversion may follow "Neither" or "Nor." | He didn't agree, nor did I, |
| 21. "If" can be dropped with inversion in formal conditionals. | Had I known, I would have helped. (instead of If I had known...) |
| 22. Other conditionals using inversion: | Were I you, I'd apologize. / Should you need help, call me. |
| 23, "Were it not for" replaces "If it were not for." | Were it not for your help, I'd fail. |
| 24. "Had it not been for" = If it had not been for. | Had it not been for the rainw we'd have gone. |
| 25. Inversion after "So do I / Neither do l" expresses agreement. | I love music. So do l. / I don't like math. Neither do I- |
| 26. "May" + subject for formal wishes. | May you live long and prosper! |
| 27. "Here" or "There" + verb + subject for description. | Here comes the train! / There goes my chance! |
| 28. "Down," "Up," "Out," "Away," "Back" can trigger inversion with motion verbs. | Out came the sun. / DOwn fell the leaves. |
| 29. *'So" and "Neither" used for short agreement | She can swim. So can I. / He can't dance, Neither can l. |
| 30. "As" + inversion shows similarity. | Tired though he was, he smiled as did hiS brother. |
| 31. Inversion after "as" often appears in literature, | He loved the sea, as did his father before him. |
| 32. "Such" and "So" often combine with inversion in literary English. | Such was the silence that even the clock stopped ticking: |
| 33. "Not a word," "Not a singlem" cause inversion for strong emphasis. | Not a word did he |
| 34, "No soonerQhan" requires past perfect and inversion. | No sooner had we arrived than it began to rain. |
| 35. "Scarcely ... when" and "Hardly ...when" use the Same pattern. | Scarcely had I Sat down when the bell rang. |
| 36. "So long as," "Provided that," and "As long as" don't need inversion. | So long as you try, you'll succeed. |
| 37. Avoid double inversion never invert twice in one sentence. | X Never did I didn't see him. s s/ Never did I see him. |
| 38. Inversion adds drama and formality common in speeches and literature. | Blessed are the peacemakers, |
| 39. After "Here/There," use singular verb if subject is singular. | Here comes the bus. (not Here come the bus,) |
| 40. With plural subjects, verb also plural. | Here come the students. |