grammar
Inversion exercises
Inversion
We use inversion in several different situations in English. Inversion just means putting the verb
before the subject. We usually do it in question forms:
Normal sentence: You are tired. (The subject is ‘you’. It’s before the verb ‘are’.)
Question form: Are you tired? (The verb ‘are’ is before the subject ‘you’. They have changed
places. This is called ‘inversion’.)
In most English verb tenses, when we want to use inversion, we just move the verb to before the
subject. If there’s more than one verb, because a verb tense has auxiliary verbs for example, we move
the first verb.
There are two verb tenses where we just change the places of the verb and subject:
Present simple with ‘be’: am I / are you / is he
Past simple with ‘be’: were you / was she
With other verb tenses, we change the place of the subject and the auxiliary verb (the first auxiliary
verb if there is more than one). We don’t move the other parts of the verb:
Present continuous: am I going / are you going
Past continuous: was he going / were they going
Present perfect: have we gone / has she gone
Present perfect continuous: has she been going / have they been going
Past perfect: had you gone
Past perfect continuous: had he been going
Future simple: will they go
Future continuous: will you be going
Future perfect: will they have gone
Future perfect continuous: will she have been going
Modal verbs: should I go / would you go
There are two tenses where we need to add do / does / did to make the question form. This is usually
still called inversion.
Present simple with any verb except ‘be’ (add ‘do’ or ‘does’): do you go / does he go
Past simple with any verb except ‘be’ (add ‘did’): did we go / did they go
When do we use inversion?
Of course, we use inversion in questions. But we also sometimes use inversion in other cases, when
we are not making a question.
1: When we use a negative adverb or adverb phrase at the beginning of the sentence.
Usually, we put the expression at the beginning of the sentence to emphasise what we’re saying. It
makes our sentence sound surprising or striking or unusual. It also sounds quite formal. If you don’t
want to give this impression, you can put the negative expression later in the sentence in the normal
way:
Seldom have I seen such beautiful work.
(‘Seldom’ is at the beginning, so we use inversion. This sentence emphasizes what beautiful
work it is.)
I have seldom seen such beautiful work.
(‘Seldom’ is in the normal place, so we don’t use inversion. This is a normal sentence with no
special emphasis.)
We only use inversion when the adverb modifies the whole phrase and not when it modifies the noun:
Hardly anyone passed the exam. (No inversion.)
Here are some negative adverbs and adverb phrases that we often use with inversion:
Hardly
Hardly had I got into bed when the telephone rang.
Never
Never had she seen such a beautiful sight before.
Seldom
Seldom do we see such an amazing display of dance.© 2014 www.perfect-english-grammar.com
May be freely copied for personal or classroom use.
Rarely
Rarely will you hear such beautiful music.
Only then
Only then did I understand why the tragedy had happened.
Not only … but
Not only does he love chocolate and sweets but he also smokes.
No sooner
No sooner had we arrived home than the police rang the doorbell.
Scarcely
Scarcely had I got off the bus when it crashed into the back of a car.
Only later
Only later did she really think about the situation.
Nowhere
Nowhere have I ever had such bad service.
Little
Little did he know!
Only in this way
Only in this way could John earn enough money to survive.
In no way
In no way do I agree with what you’re saying.
On no account
On no account should you do anything without asking me first.
In the following expressions, the inversion comes in the second part of the sentence:
Not until
Not until I saw John with my own eyes did I really believe he was safe.
Not since
Not since Lucy left college had she had such a wonderful time.
Only after
Only after I’d seen her flat did I understand why she wanted to live there.
Only when
Only when we’d all arrived home did I feel calm.
Only by
Only by working extremely hard could we afford to eat.
2: We can use inversion instead of ‘if’ in conditionals with ‘had’ ‘were’ and ‘should’. This is quite
formal:
Normal conditional: If I had been there, this problem wouldn’t have happened.
Conditional with inversion: Had I been there, this problem wouldn’t have happened.
Normal conditional: If we had arrived sooner, we could have prevented this tragedy!
Conditional with inversion: Had we arrived sooner, we could have prevented this tragedy!
3: We can use inversion if we put an adverbial expression of place at the beginning on the sentence.
This is also quite formal or literary:
On the table was all the money we had lost. (Normal sentence: All the money we had lost
was on the table.)
Round the corner came the knights. (Normal sentence: The knights came round the corner.)
4: We can use inversion after ‘so + adjective … that’:
So beautiful was the girl that nobody could talk of anything else. (Normal sentence: the girl
was so beautiful that nobody could talk of anything else.)
So delicious was the food that we ate every last bite. (Normal sentence: the food was so
delicious that we ate every last bite.)
Exercise
1 We can go on with the plan only if you agree.
Only if ………………………………………………….
2 Esther won’t leave the house under any circumstances.
Under…………………………………………………………
3 If the river rises any higher, the town will be flooded.
Should………………………………………………………..
4 If you’d paid on time, you wouldn’t have been cut off.
Had…………………………………………………………..
5 He had just recovered from flu when he caught a bad cold.
No……………………………………………………………
6 He took such a long holiday that he forgot how to do his job.
Such a long holiday………………………………………
7 They managed to get our attention only by shouting and waving their arms.
Only by………………………………………………………
8 He only asks for help when he is really desperate.
Only when……………………………………………………..
9 If I see him, I’ll give him your message.
I’ll give him your message………………………………..
10 Tom never seems worried about his future.
Never…………………………………………………………
11 I’ve never had such fun anywhere else.
Nowhere ……………………………………………….
12 Lynne didn’t realise that her mother was so worried about her.
Little…………………………………………………….
13 The army marched forward into the battle.
Forward………………………………………………..
14 Her parents and her friends warned her not to go alone.
Her parents warned her not to go alone as ……………….
15 She sang so well that she was offered a record deal.
So well ……………………………………….
16 I only watch television when I have nothing else to do.
Only when I have …………………………………..
17 The door to the basement isn’t to be left open on any account.
On…………………………………………………….
18 Bob forgot his mother’s birthday and his sister’s too.
Bob didn’t remember his mother’s birthday; neither……………..
19 He was so anxious that he kept biting his nails.
Such ………………………………………………
20 He didn’t thank me once for feeding his cat.
Not………………………………………………………….
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Inversion -emphatic structure
Inversion –emphatic structure
v Sheila is planting flowers in the garden.
It is Sheila who/that is planting flowers in the garden.
It is flowers that Sheila is planting in the garden.
It is in the garden that Sheila is planting flowers.
v Jogging keeps me in shape.
It is jogging that keeps me in shape.
Jogging is what keeps me in shape.
v I need a holiday.
What I need is a holiday.
A holiday is what I need.
v Greg tuned his guitar.
What Greg did was (to) tune his guitar.
v Stay a little longer.
Do stay a little longer.
v Who told you my secret?
Whoever told you my secret?
Exercises
1 Jane moved to Montreal in 1970.
It was in 1970 that Jane moved to Montreal.
It was Montreal that Jane moved to in 1970.
It was Jane that moved to Montreal in 1970.
2 David made dinner last night.
………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
3 Eddy painted the fence this afternoon.
……………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Rewrite the sentences putting emphasis on the underlined words.
1 Where did you meet John?
……………………………………………………………………………………….
2 Steve wrote this song.
……………………………………………………………………………………………..
3 What made you react like this?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
4 Why did you call the police?
……………………………………………………………………………………….
Fill in the gaps as in the example.
1 “I have a terrible cold”.
“So do I.
2 “I didn’t go to the party last night”.
“Nor………………………I stayed at home instead”.
3 “We went shopping yesterday.”
“So…………………………..We bought lots of gifts”.
4 “I’ve got some good news”.
“So…………………….I’m getting married”.
5 “I didn’t pass the test”.
“Nor……………………………… I could have studied harder”>
6 “I can play the guitar”.
“So…………………………..I’ve got an Ibanez”
Rewrite beginning with the underlined item.
1 The rain came down.
2 The actors came onto the stage
3 The window cleaner climbed up the ladder.
Rewrite using the words/phrases given.
1 I have seldom driven at such a high speed.
Seldom………………………………………………………………………..
2 She had no sooner fallen asleep than the telephone rang.
No sooner………………………………………………………………………………………….
3 I have never heard such a fantastic melody before.
Never before……………………………………………………………………………………..
4 The weather has rarely been so cold.
Rarely…………………………………………………………………………………………………
5 I got to love the song only after listening to it several times.
Only after…………………………………………………………………………………………………
6 If I had been invited to the party, I would have gone.
Had……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7 He had barely finished the project when the teacher called him.
Barely…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
8 The woman didn’t know that her beloved one was a married man.
Little ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
9 You must not unlock the case under any circumstances!
Under…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
10 I haven’t seen such beautiful scenery anywhere.
Nowhere……………………………………………………………………………………………..
11 I remembered my keys only after I had closed my door.
Only…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
12 We didn’t notice the time until it was too late.
Not until………………………………………………………………………………………………………
13 There is no way I can forgive him after what he’s done!
In no way………………………………………………………………………………………..
14 He is a brilliant actor and a talented musician as well.
Not only………………………………………………………………………………………………..
15 We could only get there on time only by taking a short cut.
Only ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Complete with “How”, “What a(n)”, or “What”.
1…………………………a boring film!
2 ………………………..fast Jenny runs!
3 ………………………………clever dog!
4 ……………………………….slowly he drives!
5 ……………………………….absorbed she looks!
6 …………………………….sparkling eyes she has!
7 ………………………………generous man John is!
Question Tags
1 Let’s have a gig in Japan,…………………?
2 She won’t give up,……………………..?
3 Nobody congratulated her,……………………?
4 I am pretty, ……………………………?
5 There are no cabs here, ………………………………?
6 Open the bottle, …………………………….?
7 You’ve met before, ……………………………….?
8 Somebody sent you a message, ………………………….?
9 You’d rather pick this job, …………………?
10 She’d better watch TV, ………………………………?
11 Let me introduce you, ………………………?
Use “so” or “neither”
1 “I’d love to visit Canada” “………………………………………………..”
2 “ I should cut down on sugar” “………………………………………………………..”
3 “I like playing the blues” “…………………………………………………………………”
4 “I will go shopping this weekend” “…………………………………………………………….”
5 “I’ve never heard such nonsense” “……………………………………………………………”
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gerund-infinitive exercises
Key word transformations
1 Jacks teacher made him learn the poem by heart.
was Jack ……………………………the poem by heart.
2 “No, I didn’t read your diary”, he said to her.
denied He……………………………………..her diary.
3 Why y so much for a ring which is not gold?
worth It……………………………….so much for a ring which is not gold.
4 My parnts don’t let me watch thrillers.
allowed I …………………………………thrillers.
5 I wish I had bought a house rather than a flat.
rather I ‘d …………………………………………………………..a house than a flat.
6 Chris ould rather drink tea than coffee.
prefers Chris……………………………………….coffee.
7 Can you please close the window? It’s cold in here.
mind Would…………………………..the window? It’s cold in here.
8 That puzzle was difficult for me to solve.
difficulty I ……………………………………..that puzzle.
9 This cocoa is so hot that I can’ drink it.
too This cocoa………………………………….drink.
enough This cocoa is not…………………………….drink.
10 I have trouble understanding him.
difficult I ………………………………………………..him.
They do’t let people eat in the library.
allow They don’t………………………………………..in the library.
They don’t……………………………………………in the library.
More exercises…………………..gosh!
1 Sorry, I didn’t mean……………………..(interrupt) your meeting.
2 We regret……………………(inform) you that your credit card has not been accepted by our computer.
3 Did ou remember………………………(call) the babysitter for tonight?
4 I’ ll never forget………………………..(win) my first award.
5 I really regret……………………….(buy) those expensive shoes! They hurt my feet!
6 If the mixture doesn’t stick together well ,try………………………(add) a alittle water.
7 She told us her theory and went on …………………..(explain) the details.
8 I don’t remember………………………..(leave) the lights on in the house!
9 She stopped ………………………(watch) horror films because she could no longer sleep.
10 Colin went on ……………………………(study) for two more hours after his friends had left the library.
11 Tim’s mother objected to……………………..(have) a dog in the house.
12 We intended ……………………………..(go away) this weekend but the bad weather ruined our plans.
13 Why are you so reluctant………………………..(talk) to him? He is an easy-going fellow.
14 He is such a hilarious guy, I simply can’t help ………………………(laugh) at every utterance he makes.
15 The teacher suggested that Ian …………………………(resit ) the exam.
16 We could see people ………………………………(swim) in the river.
17 ……………………….(join) a club is the ideal way of meeting new people.
18 Andy seems………………………(paint) the house all day.
19 Meredith appears …………………….(work) at the moment.
20 Mike claims………………………(be) half Irish.
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