Questions tagged [inversion]
Inversion is the placing of words or whole phrases in the reverse of their usual order in a sentence. It can serve a grammatical or a rhetorical purpose.
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"Less known is that 48% of them are left handed" — "Less known" is put in front. Is this inversion possible because "less" has a negative connotation?
wordreference.com:
(1) Everyone knows that China has a large population, less known is that 48% of them are left handed, lesser known is that 45% of them play the violin and least known is the fact ...
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"Of countless such cavils does a busy lexicographer’s working day consist"— Why does this inversion use "does"? Can I move "consists" forward instead?
blog.collinsdictionary.com:
(1) Of countless such cavils does a busy lexicographer’s working day consist.
The inversion here has the auxiliary verb "does" although, usually, such an ...
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Inversion in conditionals
We use "inversion" to sound more formal.
1 If you look for John, I will help.
1 Should you look for John, I will help you.
We are also allowed use the conitnuous version:
2 If you're looking ...
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"Is monarchy relevant in the modern world or should it be abolished?"— Is it correct not to invert the word order and say "or it should be abolished"?
an example from the section "More examples" on cambridge.org:
(1) Is monarchy relevant in the modern world or should it be abolished?
Is it necessary to invert the word order in the second ...
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"not until" and "only" - which part of the sentence is inverted and why?
In one of my grammar books, there are two examples how to use "not until" and "only" in a sentence:
Not until the next day did I hear that I had got the job.
Only at the end of ...
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Imperative, subjunctive or inversion (far be it from me)?
I ran into a phrase recently (the context, use the cc button for subtitles):
Far be it from me to make moral judgements.
The way it sounded was:
It's far from me to make moral judgements. I'm in no ...
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"Will patrons kindly note that this restaurant will be closed on 17 July." — Why is it possible to use inversion here without a question mark?
cambridge.org:
(1) Will patrons kindly note that this restaurant will be closed on 17 July.
There is no question mark but the word order is inverted.
How to explain the presence of inversion here?
...
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How inversion has been used in following sentence?
An extract from news paper,
"In fact, during 1971 war, Pakistani warplanes were parked at Tehran Airport as a tactical backup had West Pakistan also crumbled like the East."
"I know ...
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"But, says Pal, the associate professor, the people … are …" — If "says Pal + speech" is correct, is the small sentence "Said Tom, 'Hi.'" correct too?
I didn't know we can apply inversion in front of direct speech.
I thought we can do it only after it. (e.g.: 'Hi,' Tom said. → 'Hi,' said Tom.)
But here's the text:
wired.co.uk:
The next year’s ...
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Not only at the beginning of a sentence without inversion
There is one strange passage in Practical English Usage:
In the rather formal structure not only ... but also, the expressions not only and but also can go immediately before the words or expressions ...
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How does inversion work when starting a relative clause? Am I wrong?
The other day I had to read a simple story and then summarize it briefly to my teacher. At one part I said something like:
The little boy was scared, so he ran where was Regina.
My teacher told me ...
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Meaning of "So, too, may be the fate of his seed"
The Da Vinci Code (movie, 2006) has this:
Once the sarcophagus is destroyed, DNA testing will be impossible. There is no way to prove a living bloodline. But if you had to... would you do as councils ...
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Whatever and whichever usage
Whatever Alice offers him, Fred eats.
Whatever you like, you may take.
Whichever wing succeeded first would wheel inwards and help the other.
Why the 3rd example does not have a comma after the ...
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Does "Aren't you a silly girl!" mean "You aren't a silly girl!"?
my example:
(1a) Are you a silly girl!
As I understand, (1a) means (1b):
(1b) You are a silly girl!
wordreference.com:
(2a) Aren't you a silly girl!
Am I right that, by analogy with (1a), (2a) means (...
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About inversion and exclamations
While reading Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, I found (p. 270, inversion section) that:
In spoken American English, exclamations often have the same form as ordinary
(non-negative) questions ...
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