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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Inversion with "to not have"?
I came across this quote and was intrigued by its grammar: "The soul would have no rainbow, had the eyes no tears"
At first glance, "had the eyes no tears" this seems like a type ...
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so + auxiliary + subject
Lily had a wonderful time and received a fine gift, _________.
A. so had Lucy B. so did Lucy C. so Lucy did D. so it was with Lucy
The given answer is D, but I'm wondering if B is also possible. I'...
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A confusing structure: verb+ing as ... do
I came across a confusing structure from Arthur Schopenhauer. Here is the text:
Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel are not philosophers, lacking as they do
the first requisite for being counted as such: ...
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2answers
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The use cases and meaning of words that trigger an Inversion, namely "little"
I have encountered the following sentence in a class:
little did I know such a person in my life
Somehow it sounds "off" to me. I can't exactly pinpoint the reason why it is that way but I ...
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Some Unnatural Word Order Concerning Subject-Verb Inversion
As far as I know, subject-verb inversion involves switching the sentence subject and the verb when another item has to occupy the first position of the sentence. The following is an example from the ...
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Underlying structure of How + adjective + subject + verb
I want to understand the underlying structure of "How + adjective + subject + verb"
ex) how selfish we are.
Here's my opinion.
As the form of indirect question, subject and verb inversion ...
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Run-on sentences as a result of not only X but also Y inversion?
I have a question regarding the usage of 'not only... but also'.
Query #1: When does 'not only...(but) (also)' inversion result in a run-on sentence?
I present two sample sentences below - to me, they ...
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How to invert if-clause in continuous form?
I want to know how to invert these if-clauses in conditionals (for the convenience, I'd leave the main-clause):
If I am not going to catch the train... (a real conditional)
If I were not going to ...
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inversion with "so . . ."
Is "so" correct with inversion in the following? Is it mandatory?
Just as the French love their wine, so the English love their beer.
Just as the French love their wine, so do the English ...
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1answer
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inversion of past participle
I came across a sentence to understanding like the following.
Enclosed is a brochure explaining our services and investment options, per your request.
This sentence is made to place a past ...
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3answers
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Placing long phrases at the end of sentences/clauses
I have seen the following sentence in some article:
Where some understanding exists of how brain processes produce mental phenomena-for example, pain, thirst, vision, smell-it is clear that specific ...
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1answer
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What is the grammatical function of 'all' in 'noun + all'?
The people all wanted a new leader.
In the above example, what is the grammatical function of all? Is it an inversion of 'all of the people' or 'all the people'? Or is it something else entirely?
I ...
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Is not only but also used correctly in this sentence?
Is the following usage of "not only but also" wrong?
Not only is playing video games exciting but also it is a great way
to improve our creativity.
What about this one?
Not only is ...
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"In whose symbolic shadow we stand today"
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
It's a line from Martin Luther King's famous speech, I wonder if it is inverted?
...
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1answer
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Shouldn't "Only during totality...is it safe to look" be "...it is safe to look"?
In the book "Horizons: exploring the universe-Cengage learning (2018)", it said:
Only during totality, when the photosphere is completely hidden, is it safe to look at the Sun
directly.
So ...
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1answer
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Weren't+subject ... and Were+subject+not ... are they both correct for inverted conditionals?
I've seen many examples that suggest putting not after the subject. E.g.
Were Elsa not a brave girl, she wouldn't go with us.
Can we write:
Weren't Elsa a brave girl, she wouldn't go with us.
as ...
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The use "not only" and "-ing form"
Could you tell me if the following sentence uses the "not only ... but also" and "-ing" correctly?
The renovation project not only does not avoid but precipitates living off-...
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Word order and inversion in English
I've read some articles on the rules of word order in English, but still have many questions when it comes to particular situations. For example, do the following sentences sound natural, or I need to ...
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about word-order of a question sentence which is a line from a movie
I'd like to ask about a line in a dialogue(<- should it be a line of a dialogue instead?) from the movie, No Country for Old Men.
I marked the line bold among the below dialogue. The conversation ...
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1answer
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Is this inversion correct?
Could you please tell me if I have used inversion correctly or not?
On no account can reforms be postponed any longer.
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1answer
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I have always seen this inversion in past tense. Is this correct for simple present?
Is the following sentence correct? I used inversion, and instead of telling "people are able to", I wrote "are people able to"
Only after a well-planned diet are people able to ...
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1answer
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Omitting "if" at the middle of a sentence
In my book, it just told me about omitting "if" at the beginning of a sentence. Then what about "if" in the middle of a sentence?
Example:
I wouldn't do that if I were you.
I ...
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0answers
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The following sentence is correct in terms of grammar?
What I'm trying to say - [I'm not studying or working at the moment]
The sentence that I like to use - I'm not studying nor am I working at the moment.
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Inversion in interrogative questions
In indirect questions, the so-called penthouse principle disallows Subject-AV inversion.
Thus,
Cathy wonders what did Sam eat. (Incorrect)
Cathy wonders what Sam ate. (Correct)
What is the rule for ...
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A weird “such” inversion
Is “So beautiful a day was it that...” grammatically correct? Does such a weird case of inversion even exist?
I know that this question doesn’t hold up in terms of pertinence or practicality but the ...
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Is there a mistake in my sentences? (inversion)
Inversion to emphasize a negative or limiting adverbial
1.We didn't discover the mistake until much later.
Ans: Not until much later did we discover the mistake.
2.Nowadays People no longer go by sea.
...
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What is negative inversion for "She made no sound as she crept upstairs"?
What is the negative inversion for this sentence?
She made no sound as she crept upstairs
My Answer:
No sound did she made as she crept upstairs
Is this correct? If not, how could it be improved?
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2answers
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Inversion usage in "Despite being cheap and efficient, hardly does crayon capture the artists’ true intention."
Is it correct to use inversion in the second part of the following sentence?
Despite being cheap and efficient, hardly does crayon capture the artists’ true intention.
Is it better to revise the ...
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How to invert "He was never silly." to emphasize the negative adverb?
What is the correct sentence if you want to make inversion for the following sentence to emphasize the negative adverb?
He was never silly.
Never was he silly.
This is recommended as correct form ...
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"... said Sally" or "... Sally said"?
I have always hesitated about the order S+V or V+S after a quote. For example, in the following sentence should I write "... said Sally" or "... Sally said"?
"If everything ...
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1answer
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Is neither ... nor used correctly in this sentence?
Consider the following sentence:
Therefore, they neither need someone else to flatter them, nor depend in great part on a government pension.
Is it grammatically a correct sentence?
Is there any ...
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1answer
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Inversion in the sentence
Is it possible to use an inversion in this way?
Only after people had started working harder, did they improve their skills
Is it natural enough or awkward?
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Mixed conditionals and inversion
I've been trying to play around with mixed conditional clauses and inversion. These topics are obviously not the easiest ones, so I have experienced some issues.
My sentence:
Weren’t professionals ...
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Inversion in this sentence: "Nothing can/could I do..."
Is it possible to use an inversion like this:
"Nothing could (can) I do in that situation."
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1answer
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Inversion of a negative sentence including there
Sometimes inversion seems really complicated. Suppose the following sentence:
If there had not been modern communication platforms across the globe,
there could have not been any scientific progress.
...
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1answer
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Inversion in comparative sentences
I came across this sentence in my English textbook :
They seem to vary in brain dominance more than do right handers.
But I think a more grammatically correct sentence would be:
They seem to vary ...
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1answer
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I wonder why are ... vs i wonder why the majority of people who .... are ...?
Do we say
I wonder why the majority of people who liked this are ....(adjective)
Or
I wonder why are the majority of people who liked this ....(adjective)
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"To ..." as a subject of a sentence?
To the Mall’s polite formality-- its “tulips all in a line,” in House’s words-- has come a contrasting presence: a wetland visible from the Capitol sprouting cattails, wild rice and about 1,440 ...
asked Nov 3 '20 at 3:37
HypnoticBuggyWraithVirileBevy
1,8851 gold badge9 silver badges26 bronze badges
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Change your mind as you will, you will gain no…
I saw sentences like "Try as he might, he couldn't get the door open." I'd like to know whether the same pattern can be applied to the following sentence.
Change your mind as you will, you ...
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inversion: sing as you do
Is the following sentence correct, on the model of "try as you may"?
Sing as you do today, he is never going to be happy with you.
Live as I do in Japan, I will never be treated as a local....
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Structure of a sentence from The War of the Worlds
You know how that blackness looks on a frosty starlight night. In a
telescope it seems far profounder. And invisible to me because it was
so remote and small, flying swiftly and steadily towards me ...
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2answers
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What is the sentence structure of "Divergent as the arguments are, It is my firm conviction that..."?
What is the sentence structure of "Divergent as the arguments are, It is my firm conviction that..."?
Is it a correct sentence? It seems like an inversion but I can't find this structure ...
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Asking multiple questions successively and grammar structure
Do you see where I am coming from or my idea is still not clear?
Do you see where I am coming from or is my idea still not clear
I was thinking which is more grammatically correct, I know that, in a ...
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About exclamatives with interrogative form
Did I do something stupid last night!
I suppose it can be expressed by: What a stupid thing I did last night!
Wow! Can she sing!
It means that She is really good at singing.
Look at those ones! ...
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1answer
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Which is correct, would you or you would?
What is one question would you like to ask a time traveler from 1000 years in the future?
or
What is one question you would like to ask a time traveler from 1000 years in the future?
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Is this inversion? “Seldom is the weather more dramatic...”
Seldom is the weather more dramatic than when thunderstorms strike.
Is it an inverted sentence?
Or what is it?
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Do some subjunctive sentences mean the same with the sentences with the pattern " Too...for....to "?
The question is " Can I use inversions and subjunctives " in the same sentence ? ". In subjunctive sentence ,it says " It's so important that he get back home early " ,then ...
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How can I apply inversions to sentences that include "because"?
Which of the following sentences is correct?
Because did I love the dinner, I ate it to my full
Or
Because I loved the dinner, did I ate it to my full
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Is "When I got back home, did the lights go out?" grammatically correct?
Is the sentence:
When I got back home, did the lights go out?
grammatically correct, as compared to its inverted form:
Did the lights go out when I got back home?
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Only if ~ is~ : inversion?
Sentence: Only if we go out there and clean it up this amount of plastic is going to go down.
Is this grammatically correct? I heard that when "Only if" is used, we invert the subject and ...