INVERSION

The idea of inversion is that the verb

precedes the subject

Modal + S + V

INVERSION

V S
 A. Inversion : Modal + S + V

1. Direct question
e.g How much did you pay for it?
QW M S V
Do you like it?
M S V
Compare with the Indirect
question (Noun Clause). It takes a
statement word order. ( S V)
e.g.
He asked me how much I paid for
it.
Sub. Conj S V
I don’t know where he lives.
Sub. Conj S V
 2. Negative I could hardly sleep last
adverbs beginning night.
of a sentence. Hardly could I sleep
Hardly last night.
Scarcely
Barely He has never seen such
Never a beautiful woman.
At no time
Never has he seen
Rarely/
such a beautiful woman.
seldom

Tom rarely talks about

himself.
 3. ONLY + Adverb/Adverb clause beginning of
a sentence
(such as only after, only once, only until, only
by, etc)
e.g.
I have seen it only once.
Only once have I seen it.

A person can become a success only by

working hard.
Only by working hard can a person
become a success.
 4. SO/NEITHER/NOR at the beginning
of a sentence.
e.g.

He is so handsome that a lot of girls

admire him.
So handsome is he that a lot of girls
admire him.

I like tea so does my brother.

 5. Omission “IF” in conditional
sentences.

I. If you (should) go to the post office,

please mail this letter.
Should you go to the post office,
please mail this letter.
II. If she were rich, she would donate the
money.
Were she rich, she would donate the
money.
III. If he had parked the car there, it
wouldn’t have been stolen.
Had he parked his car there, it
 6. After comparison.
The inversion of a subject and a verb
after a comparison is optional and it
is rather formal structure.
All options below are true
e.g. Jane ate more pie than Sam.
Jane ate more pie than Sam did.
Jane ate more pie than did Sam.
 7. After : Adverb of place that begins
a sentence
with a noun subject.
e.g.
The three boys sat under the tree.
Under the three sat the three boys.
V S
 8. After an Intransitive verb
beginning a sentence.

e.g.
The robot comes here.
Here comes the robot.
V S
 9. To put a stress, it is possible that a
passive verb is split and the main verb
begins the sentence.

e.g.
Several small kids were held as
hostages.
Held as hostages were several small
kids.

His shoes were discovered at the back of

the room.
Discovered at the back of the room