Types of Subject/Verb Inversion

There are at least eighteen types of inversion:

1. neg intro
2. intro adverbial (in, down, prepositional phrase)
3. intro -ed
4. coparative
!. intro coparative
". as
#. so... that...
$. had, sho%ld, were
&. there is
1'. here is
11. intro -ing
12. ephasis
13. the bigger, the better
14. (%estions
1!. )story speech)
1". nor
1#. so do *+neither do *
1$. intro ad,ective
-etails are attached below:

Type ./aples 0otes
1. neg intro
a) 0ever do * sleep.
b) 1nly at night can *
st%dy.
c) *n no way co%ld *
help yo% with yo%r
2apanese graar
(%estion.
d) * believe that only
rarely will * need yo%r
help.
e) 0ot %ntil * got hoe
did * reali3e that y
shoes were %ntied.
4%estion for is obligatory.
5sed with all verbs.
6e need to learn the vario%s
types of words and phrases that
re(%ire this type of inversion.
0otice that soeties the
inversion occ%rs right after the
neg intro for and soeties
it occ%rs in the ne/t s%b,ect and
verb.
2. intro
adverbial
a) *nto the roo ran the
lady.
b) 7irst coes love,
then coes arriage.
c) 8fter 8 coes 9, then
coes :, ne/t coes
-.
d) -own cae the rain
and washed the
spider o%t.
*nversion is optional.
5sed with be-verbs, lin;ing
verbs, and verbs of direction.
0otice that soeties we have
an adverb, li;e first and down
and soeties we have an
adverb phrase li;e into the
roo or after 8. These adverbs
and adverb phrases %s%ally
show location or direction.
Type ./aples 0otes
This type of inversion %s%ally
only occ%rs with be-verbs,
lin;ing verbs and verbs that
show direction or oveent,
li;e coe, go, r%n, etc.
3. intro <ed
a) 7o%nd in =an
7rancisco is >obard
=treet, the so-called
croa;iest street in the
world.
b) >ost aong the old
tables and chairs was
the priceless ?ictorian
des;.
c) >ocated between =an
7rancisco and @arin
:o%nty is the Aolden
Aate 9ridge.
*nversion is obligatory.
5sed with be-verbs.
This type of inversion %s%ally
occ%rs with be-verbs, b%t
soeties with lin;ing verbs.
0otice that the phrase is the
copleent of the be-verb.
4. coparatives
a) :heetahs r%n faster
than do antelopes.
b) Bo% spea; :hinese
better than do *.
c) 2essica is ore
interested in
:op%ter =cience
than is 9en,ain.
*nversion is optional.
5sed with all verbs.
6e norally only have
inversion here if we are
coparing s%b,ects of the verb,
not ob,ects. 7or e/aple, in the
following two sentences, we are
coparing ob,ects, carrots and
potatoes, not the s%b,ect *.:
* li;e carrots ore than * do
potatoes.
* li;e carrots ore than do *
li;e potatoes.
0ow, in this sentence, we are
coparing s%b,ects, * and y
friend :arl:
* li;e carrots ore than does
y friend :arl.
!. intro
coparative
a) 9igger than an
apatosa%r is the bl%e
whale.
b) @ore iportant than
yo%r personal
stateent is yo%r
AC8.
c) 0o less ipressive
than the invention of
*nversion is obligatory.
5sed with be-verbs.
0otice that we can only %se this
for of inversion when the verb
is a be-verb since in every
case, the coparative is the
copleent of the be-verb.
Deeber that less than is also
a coparative.
Type ./aples 0otes
the laser was the
developent of the
wheel.
". as a) @eg%i is fro
2apan, as is =ato.
b) =o-e%n wants to
leave early today, as
does 1i.
c) *f thrown into the
water, caels can
swi, as can cats.
*nversion is obligatory.
5sed with all verbs.
6e can only %se inversion if we
are %sing as for coparisons.
as is one of the tric;iest words
in .nglishE it can have any
different eanings.
#. soF thatF
a) =o happy was * that *
bo%ght flowers for
everybody in class.
b) =o (%ic;ly did she
leave that we did not
even reali3e was
gone.
c) =o rarely does a
coet appear visible
to the na;ed eye that
when one does, it is
considered a a,or
event.
4%estion for is obligatory.
5sed with all verbs.
The soF thatF cla%se %st
before the verb in for this type
of inversion.
$. had, sho%ld,
were for if-
cla%ses
a) Gad * reebered
TooiHs birthday,
she wo%ldnIt be ad
at e now.
b) 0ote that the word if
does 01T appear in
the cla%se when
inversion is %sed:
c) Gad * reebered J
*f * had reebered
d) =ho%ld yo% need a
hand, * will be ore
than happy to help
yo%.
e) =ho%ld yo% need a
hand J *f yo% sho%ld
need a hand
f) 6ere * yo%, * thin; *
wo%ld st%dy ore for
yo%r e/a toorrow.
*nversion is obligatory.
5sed with all verbs.
This type of inversion is ;ind of
special. 0otice that we can only
%se this type of inversion when
we are %sing an if-cla%se. *n
other words, if is oitted: even
tho%gh the word if does not
appear in the cla%se, we still
have the eaning of an if-
cla%se.
Type ./aples 0otes
g) 6ere * yo% J *f *
were yo%
&. there is,
there are, there
e/ists, there
coes, etc.
a) There is a good
resta%rant nearby.
b) There coes a tie
in every personIs life
when she reali3es
that she is
responsible for her
own happiness, not
other people.
c) =cientists
hypothesi3e that
there e/ists a certain
type of particle that
can travel faster than
the speed of light.
*nversion is obligatory.
5s%ally %sed only with these
verbs.
@ost people reeber there is
and there are. 95T we %st
also reeber that there are
other verbs that we can %se
instead of is and are. The ost
coon ones are e/ist, coe,
and go.
1'. here is,
here are, here
coes, here
coe
a) Gere is soe good
food for yo% to try.
b) Gere are the boo;s
that * donIt need
anyore.
c) Gere coes the b%sK
*nversion is obligatory.
5s%ally %sed only with these
verbs.
6e %se this for ostly in
spo;en .nglish.
11. intro -ing
a) 9%rning o%t of control
was the forest
located in the
foothills of the =ierra
0evada o%ntains.
b) :oing in last in the
race was 2oe
).lephant >egs) 9low.
c) 0ot helping the
sit%ation was little
=%sie, who was
throwing newspaper
on the spreading fire.
*nversion is obligatory.
5sed only with be-verbs.
0otice the intro <ing phrase is
the copleent of the be-verb.
12. ephasis
a) 9oy a * h%ngry.
b) *s it ever hot in hereK
c) -o yo% ;now how to
coo;K
*nversion is optional.
5sed with all verbs.
6e %se this for ostly in
spo;en .nglish.
13. the bigger, The closer an ob,ect is to 4%estion for is optional.
Type ./aples 0otes
the better another ob,ect, the greater
is the gravity between the
two ob,ects.
5sed with all verbs.
14. (%estions
a) *s this the last
e/apleL
b) -o yo% en,oy reading
these listsL
c) 8re we finished yetL
*nversion is obligatory.
5sed with all verbs.
1!. )story
speech)
a) M* thin; itIs tie to
go,N said =%san.
b) M*tIs tie for yo%, b%t
not for e,N replied
Aary.
c) M@aybe we sho%ld
collect o%r tho%ghts
for a oent,N
coented >any.
*nversion is optional.
5sed with verbs that report
speech.
1". nor
a) 0o one has
vol%nteered for the
,ob, nor do we e/pect
anyone to vol%nteer
in the f%t%re.
b) Go;-ing cannot
spea; Cort%g%ese,
nor can 2osO spea;
:antonese.
c) The 3oo reg%lations
will not perit yo% to
to%ch the anials,
nor wo%ld ost
people advise yo% to
do so.
*nversion is obligatory.
5sed with all verbs.
Deeber that nor is
considered a con,%nction, b%t
we %se it between two
sentences (not between any
two eleents li;e the other
con,%nctions).
1#. )so do *)+
)neither do *.)
a) M=o do *.N
b) M=o can Terry.N
c) M0either do ost
people * ;now.N
*nversion is obligatory.
5sed with all verbs.
1$. intro
ad,ective
a) 9ea%tif%l beyond
belief was y baby
da%ghter.
b) Gappy abo%t their
*nversion is obligatory in ost
cases.
5sed with be-verbs.
*nversion is soeties not
%sed in poetic lang%age.
Type ./aples 0otes
acceptance into their
drea schools were
>any and Too.
c) 4%ic; and painless
will be yo%r edical
proced%re.