EMPHASIS & INVERSION

GRAMMAR: EXPRESSING 2008/09
INVERSION1. After adverbial phrases of direction and place at the beginning of the
- (intransitive) verb + subject
- auxiliary verb + subject + main verb
e.g.: Dave began to open the three parcels. Inside the first was a book of crosswords from his Aunt Alice.
With the verb BE we always use this type of inversion, and we usually use it with such verbs as CLIMB, GO, COME, FLY, HANG, LIE, RUN, SIT, STAND, etc.
e.g.: Above the fireplace was a portrait of the Duke. In an armchair sat his mother.
NOTE: Inversion does NOT occur when the subject is a pronoun (In an armchair sat she).
In spoken English, inversion occurs after HERE, THERE, BACK, DOWN, IN, OFF,
UP, ROUND, etc.
e.g.: Here comes Jake’s car.
e.g.: I lit a fuse and after a few seconds up went the rocket.
2. In conditional sentences (instead of certain if sentences):
e.g.: Should you need further information, please telephone our main office.
e.g.: Had you asked me, I would have told you the truth.
NOTE: This type of inversion is typical of formal texts. Thus, don’t use contractions.
3. In comparisons with as and than:
e.g.: The cake was excellent, as was the coffee (or ...as the coffee was.)
e.g.: Research shows that children living in villages watch more TV than do their counterparts in inner city areas (or ...than their counterparts do...)
NOTE: This type of inversion is typical of formal written language. It does not occur when the subject is a pronoun.
4. After negative adverbials at the beginning of a sentence:
*time adverbials: never (before), rarely, seldom; barely/hardly/scarcely...when/before; no sooner... than:
e.g.: Seldom do we have goods returned to us because they are faulty.
e.g.: Hardly had I got onto the motorway when I saw two police cars following me.
*only after/later/once/then/when (or any other time expression):
e.g.: Only once did I go to the opera in the whole time I was in Italy.
*only+ other prepositional phrases (only by.../in.../with.., etc.):
e.g.: Sheila had to work at evenings and weekends. Only in this way was she able to complete the report by the deadline.
*preposition + no (at no time, in no way, on no account, under/in no circumstances):
e.g.: Under no circumstances are passengers permitted to open the doors themselves.
*expressions with not (not only, not until) and not+object:
e.g.: Not a single word had she written since the exam had started.
*little with negative meaning:
e.g.: Little do they know how lucky they are to live in such a wonderful house.
NOTE: Inversion can occur after a CLAUSE beginning only after/if/when or not until.
e.g.: Only when the famine gets worse will world governments begin to act.
e.g.: Not until the train pulled into Euston Station did Jim find that his coat had gone.
5. After so+adj... that, such+be... that, neither .../nor...:
e.g.: So successful was her business that Mary was able to retire at the age of 50.
e.g.: Such is the popularity of the play that the theater is likely to be full every night.
e.g.: The council never wanted the new drugstore to be built, nor did local residents.
der = stylistic feature of SPOKEN rather than written discourse that can appear in contexts where a STRONG CONTRAST is being made:
e.g.: Him I like; her I don’t.
e.g.: Peter I can comprehend; the others speak gibberish.
7. P= in certain WRITTEN genres, such as fiction
e.g.: A professor he was, but in name only.
8. Fronting of …
a) negative or limiting adverbial constituents:
e.g.: Never have I seen such a mess!
b) Extent, degree, or comparison adverbial constituents:
e.g.: So absurd was his manner that everyone in the party laughed at him.
c) PRESENT PARTICIPLE
e.g.: Sitting at the kitchen table was our uncle.
d) PAST PARTICIPLE
e.g.: Hidden in the cellar were several barrels of wine.
e) With adverbials of POSITION and DIRECTION, fronting can take place with or without subject-verb inversion:
e.g.: John ran into the house ( Into the house ran John / John ran.
e.g