Inversion with negative adverbials – adding emphasis

Inversion with negative adverbials – adding emphasis

Exercise 3

Rewrite the sentences using inversion. Do NOT use contractions.

1 I had hardly arrived home when my phone rang.

home when my phone rang.

2 They had barely won the match when the coach had a heart attack.

the match when the coach had a heart attack.

3 The company had no sooner launched a new product than it went bankrupt.

a new product than it went bankrupt.

4 She didn't understand what the conversation was about.

Little what the conversation was about.

5 You are not allowed to disturb the pilots under any circumstances.

to disturb the pilots.

6 We have never faced such a challenge!

such a challenge!

7 You can solve this puzzle only by guessing.

this puzzle.

8 I would accept this position only if everybody agreed.

this position.

9 The Queen has rarely cried in front of a camera.

in front of a camera.

10 He mentioned the financial crisis zero times.

Not once the financial crisis.

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What is an inversion with a negative adverbial?

In formal English, we can use a negative or restrictive adverb at the beginning of a sentence to make it more emphatic or dramatic. When we do this, the adverb is then followed by an inversion: auxiliary verb + subject (+ verb). See the example below:

• I could find my keys nowhere. ⇒ Nowhere could I find my keys. 

When there is no auxiliary verb, we use do/does (present) or did (past) as auxiliary.

• I understand the true meaning only now. ⇒ Only now do I understand the true meaning. 
• I didn’t say anything until she arrived. ⇒ Not until she arrived did I say anything. 

Common adverbs used with this structure

In the table below, you can see some of the most common negative or restrictive adverbials that are sometimes used at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis.

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Hardly, barely, scarcely, no sooner

We normally use hardly … when, barely … when, scarcely … when, and no sooner … than in narratives with past perfect in the inversion.

We use no sooner … than (NOT that, or when)

Adverbial + clause + inversion

Note that after some adverbials, such as only if and only when we use a subordinate clause (subject + verb), and that the inversion is never in the subordinate clause but in the main verb of the sentence. Check the sentence below:

• Only when do I sleep I can forget about the accident.
• Only when I sleep can I forget about the accident.

The same happens with other adverbials, such as not since and not until; we use a subordinate clause (subject + verb), and the inversion is never in the subordinate clause but in the sentence’s main verb. Check the sentence below:

• Not since was I a child I have had such a great time.  
• Not since I was a child have I had such a great time.

If you are in doubt, it’s always useful to look at the sentence without the negative adverbial at the beginning.

• I can forget about the accident only when I sleep. 
• I haven’t had such a great time since I was a child.

The main subject and verb are at the beginning of the sentence, and this is the element that must be in the inversion.

Not

We must always use not followed by another element before the inversion.

• Not can we see such great expressions of art often.
• Not often can we see such great expressions of art.

Adverbs of frequency

We can also use inversion after the negative or restrictive adverbs of frequency, such as seldom, rarely, or never.

We often use never to talk about experiences. In that case, we normally use present perfect or past perfect.

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