52 Inversion after Negative and Restrictive Expressions
Inversion happens when we invert the normal order of a sentence, mostly the form of the subject-verb.
When negative or restrictive expressions like never, hardly, little, seldom, rarely, scarcely, barely, no sooner… than, in/under no circumstances, only after, only if, not till/until etc. are used, we use Inversion.
When negative or restrictive expressions like never, hardly, little, seldom, rarely, scarcely, barely, no sooner… than, in/under no circumstances etc. take place in the beginning of a sentence, we see an Inversion of the verb and subject.
The form is as follows:
Negative/Restrictive expression + auxiliary verb + subject.
When only after, only if, not till/until are used at the beginning, Inversion takes place in the main clause.
The form is as follows:
Negative/Restrictive expression + clause + auxiliary verb + subject + verb.
- Hardly had I finished the heavy food when they brought the dessert.
- Little does she know about the breastfeeding.
- Never have they seen a redcurrant in their life.
- Under no circumstances are you allowed to drink cocktails.
- No sooner had we finished the first course than we started to eat the second one.
- Only after I drank the milk did I realize that it had gone bad.
- Not until everyone had taken a seat at the table did we start eating.
Inversion is used for emphasizing the sentence. We use it mostly in a literary way or a formal way.
- Hardly: With difficulty, almost not;
- Little: In a slight scale;
- Never: Not under any condition, not at any time, not any reason;
- Seldom: In a few cases, almost never;
- Rarely: Not often;
- In/Under no circumstances: Never;
- Not until: Not before;
- No sooner … than: Indicates that second action happened immediately after the first one;
- Only after/Only then: Indicates the time passed between first and second actions.
Inversion happens when we invert the normal order of a sentence, mostly the form of the subject-verb in order to emphasize the sentence. We use Inversion mostly in a literary way or a formal way.
When negative or restrictive expressions like never, hardly, little, seldom, rarely, scarcely, barely, no sooner… than, in/under no circumstances etc. take place in the beginning of a sentence, we see an Inversion of the verb and subject.
When only after, only if, not till/until are used at the beginning, Inversion takes place in the main clause.
The form is as follows:
Negative/Restrictive expression + auxiliary verb + subject
If there is not an auxiliary verb, we use do/does for Present situations and did for Past situations.
For example:
— “Seldom does he like rice pudding.” = To put emphasis on the sentence, Seldom is followed by an auxiliary verb.
— “Only after she had finished cooking did she realize she forgot to put salt.” = When a sentence start with only after, only if, not till/until, Inversion takes place in the main clause.
Let’s revise this content within the [Form] section. Take a look at the [Example] section that shows its use within a context.