Questions tagged [subject-auxiliary-inversion]
The subject-auxiliary-inversion tag has no usage guidance.
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1answer
41 views
as she was or as was she?
I'd like to know whether "as was she" is correct in the following:
Peter was aware of the problem, as was she / as she was.
I'd appreciate your help.
3
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1answer
28 views
Is “to know who were the people that…” correct in this sentence?
Most of us when we have seen houses which were picturesquely situated, and wore a look of unusual beauty and comfort, have felt a desire to know who were the people that lived in them.
I suppose that ...
1
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1answer
37 views
Asking a question as part of a sentence
I was wondering what is the grammar rule to include a question as a part of a sentence? Here are some examples:
Example 1:
Can you tell what am I missing? vs. Can you tell me what I am missing?
...
0
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1answer
31 views
When to use “he/she had” and when to use “had he/she” when formulating a question?
I'm not very sure, but I think the "he/she had" structure is more colloquial/informal? Or maybe I should never use that construction when asking questions?
Here's an example sentence:
Her ...
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0answers
35 views
I've never had vs. not once have I had
This is a sentence meaning question:
Sentence #1: I've been running this extension for over a month, and not once have I had a serious problem. (From an internet source)
Vs.
Sentence #2: I've ...
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0answers
28 views
Is “Outside the house were two women talking” a grammatical/good sentence? partial inversion vs full inversion
Oxford Guide to English Grammar; John Eastwood; Oxford University Press 1994-09
Page 56-57
3 Inversion after an adverbial
a In this sentence the pattern is subject + verb + adverbial of place....
0
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3answers
76 views
Can we add the phrase “do you think” in an interrogative sentence and not reverse the subject-verb order?
I was chatting with my friend and I asked him this question. But, then I was not sure if it was grammatically correct because I had never used the phrase "do you think" with an interrogative sentence. ...
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3answers
30 views
What is a correct question?
What is a correct question to this answer?
We have our Spanish lessons in the center.
A: Where do you have got Spanish lessons?
B: Where have you got Spanish lessons?
Notice: considering that (...
0
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1answer
31 views
Why is “are” placed in the middle rather than the end?
I saw the following sentence structure in an American textbook from 2010:
Metal A and B are much more brittle than are metal C and D.
Why is the "are" placed where it is (emphasized in bold)?
...
2
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1answer
26 views
Is the subject-verb inversion in this sentence correct?
She does not always mean good, and not always is she overt as to her real meaning.
I think "is" should come before "she" because of "not always". Is that correct?
0
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2answers
61 views
“How many language do you speak?” OR “How many language you speak?”
How many language do you speak?
OR
How many language you speak?
Which one is correct? What is the difference?
I have found another example:
How much food are you going to take with ...
1
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1answer
42 views
Comma and Antecedant Questions from Example Text [closed]
"In her lonesome cottage, by the seashore, thoughts visited her such as dared to enter no other dwelling in New England; shadowy guests, that would have been as perilous as demons to their entertainer,...
2
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1answer
54 views
How many months does it has to take to build a cruise.(grammar)
With reference to the title:
How many months does it has to take to build a cruise.
Is my subject-verb agreement correct? Particularly 'does it has to' or should I say ''does it have to''? I ...
1
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1answer
67 views
Subject inversion in the correlative comparative construction
Found this line in The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (ch.13 #4.6)
The more conditions I impose, the less likely is he to agree.
The chapter doesn't say why the inversion was used here. ...
0
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1answer
33 views
Is the inversion in the mentioned context idiomatic/grammatical?
But, in either of the above ways is intentionality defined, why not to
use the previously mentioned criteria to identify an intentional
crime?
In the above sentence "is" is put before the subject....
1
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1answer
72 views
For what purposes is inversion used?
While English seems one of the languages most rigid in word order, there are many types of inversion. I know some patterns into which they can be categorized; interrogative sentence, subjunctive mood, ...
2
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3answers
129 views
Why do we reverse the order in one sentence but not the other?
1a) “What is it?”
b) “What do you think it is?” (is it reversed)
2a) “What would be a good way to go about this?”
b) “What do you think would be a good way to go about this?”
2b apparently does ...
1
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1answer
42 views
Inversion for verb to be
As soon as she was a queen, she went around the country.
Can I change this sentence into ''no sooner----than''?
For example,
No sooner was she a queen than she went around the country.
I raise a ...
0
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1answer
61 views
Why there is a word “does” in the first sentence and no “does” in the second?
What time does the plane arrive tomorrow?
Where the plane arrives?
Or one of this sentences is incorrect? (I'm not english-speaking person).
6
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1answer
126 views
Oscar Wilde's story telling technique
Night after night have I sung of him, though I knew him not: night after night have I told his story to the stars, and now I see him. His hair is as dark as the hyacinth-blossom, and his lips are red ...
1
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2answers
1k views
“Why do you not give” Vs “Why do not you give”
Are they, both sentences, grammatically and semantically acceptable?
Why do you not give him your flesh and your bones?
Why do not you give him your flesh and your bones?
0
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2answers
39 views
Which question is right?
I am confused on how to frame a question.
Is the patient aware of the procedure?
or
Does the patient aware of the procedure?
0
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1answer
58 views
The role of do in a declarative sentence
What is the role of "do" in the following sentence?
Only in the jungle do you find lizards that can soar like dragons.
26
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5answers
7k views
“How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?”
Is the following sentence grammatically correct? (I found this sentence on a friend's wall on Facebook)
How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?
or it should be
How many ...
2
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2answers
512 views
Is this the correct grammar to use?
I always stumble to understand the use of "ARE" as the start of the question.
is this the correct grammar as written below? :
Are you required to hold a work permit in this country?
Are there ...
1
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2answers
96 views
Only now “are” technological advances beginning to offer hope
Only now are technological advances beginning to offer hope that wind power will come to be accepted as a reliable and important source of electricity. Wind Power in the US
Why do we need the ...
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0answers
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Are both these sentences in different orders correct? [duplicate]
The original sentence is below.
When you are studying any matter, or considering any philosophy, ask yourself only what are the facts and what is the truth that the facts bear out.
I would like to ...
1
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1answer
79 views
not every day (do) you get a chance to
In this clip of the movie Moana, Maui says:
I know, not every day you get a chance to meet your hero.
The line starts at 49 seconds into the video.
I think the meaning of the boldfaced clause is ...
4
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1answer
293 views
Only once did I see any elephant
I stumbled on this sentence in a book called "Going Solo", but it doesn't look grammatically correct to me:
Only once did I see any elephant.
Please explain to me how does it work.
5
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3answers
12k views
“How long have you been working?” vs. “How long you have been working?”
I think "How long have you been working?" and "How long you have been working?" are both questions, so, could you tell me what is the difference between them?
2
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1answer
54 views
Usage of auxiliary verb with question
I am really confused with the word order of English.
How can you go to your sister's house this afternoon?
How you can go to your sister's house this afternoon?
In the first sentence we put the ...
0
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1answer
174 views
Which kind of grammar is this? Only after the goals are set [can we] then
Which kind of English grammar is this? Normally we would write 'we can then...' I think this is to make the expression stronger:
Ambition set goals for us, and only after goals are set can we then ...
2
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1answer
236 views
“Are” at the End of a Statement (a statement that is not an indirect question)
Why is it okay to use "are" at the end of a statement?
I found a page here that talks about verbs at the end of indirect questions, but I am specifically looking for an answer about why "are" can be ...
0
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1answer
39k views
Which one is correct: “what did he do” or “what did he does”?
I am confused about how to use "what did he do" and "what did he does".
I want to ask one friend what another friend does.
0
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1answer
42 views
can “do” use for emphasise not just before a verb?
the sentences below are written in "introduction to Linux Mint"
"Finally, software which is distributed in this way is often, by virtue of necessity, “static”.This means that not only do you need to ...
3
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1answer
605 views
Verb before noun
Constants and variables of a certain type can't be declared again with the same name, nor can they be altered to store different types.
After 'nor' why 'can' is used first instead of 'they'?
I feel ...
0
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2answers
664 views
Other pronouns with “Boy, am I tired”
Would this emphatic expression be used with other pronouns and other tenses?
Boy, am I tired!
Would you give an example for each tense. An example for all cases would be best but not necessary. ...
2
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1answer
941 views
What should I say what you are doing or what are you doing to make a statement or declaration?
What should I say "what you are doing" or "what are you doing" to a statement or declaration?
Let's say I'm on Facebook and I want to post something like "comment what you are doing". Is it correct ...
2
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1answer
1k views
How is the structure “ Never have I been”?
I came across " Never have I been so glad to see anyone in my life.".
Is " Never have I been so glad" is the same meaning as "I have been so glad"?
How can I use the phrase " Never have I"?
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6answers
444 views
The order of words in a clause: “tell me who is the real man” vs. “tell me who the real man is” [duplicate]
"Tell me who she is."
"Tell me who your boyfriend is."
We usually reverse the order, so it becomes like that.
But I wonder whether "tell me who is the real man" also works because "tell me who ...
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2answers
3k views
“How rude are you” vs. “How rude you are”
I want to know about this two sentence whether both is correct or wrong.
If both is correct then where can I use this sentence?
3
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4answers
2k views
What does he say ? Why there is a “Does”?
"What does he say ?"
My question seems not relevent to grammar, I am not sure, but I am in wonder.
In the question "What does he say ?" the word "does" seems redundant to me, as the question is ...
2
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2answers
131 views
Which of these two is correct, “What should everyone know?” or “What everyone should know?” [duplicate]
Which of the above is correct usage and why. I saw this edit in a stackoverflow question and it got me wondering why was it edited. Is it just because the first one sounds better?
5
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3answers
677 views
'Only by defending against threats WILL YOU be able to carry out your strategies' - Position of “will”
I saw this sentence and thought shouldn't "will" be placed after "You" instead of before it?
Only by defending against your opponent's threats will you be able to successfully carry out your own ...
0
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1answer
2k views
Can I use “is” twice in the question starting with “Is”?
I want to ask the below question:
Is "West Indies" is not a country?
Here, can I use "is" twice? Or the second "is" not required and can I simply ask:
Is "West Indies" not a country?
1
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1answer
1k views
How many apples are there or How many apples there are?
When I want to ask how many apples there is in the refrigerator, what is the correct sentence?
1) How many apples are there?
2) How many apples there are?
I asked this question because ...
5
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1answer
177 views
Why is there inversion in “I want to understand what is it that allows non-alcoholics to understand alkies.”?
From "The Collected Ernie Kurtz" (2008), page 120:
This is why I am so interested in the biographies of those early people: I want to understand what is it that allows non-alcoholics to understand ...
2
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1answer
604 views
Omitting do/does
I came across one of the questions founded in the TOEFL.
... is entirely up to him
(The correct answer)
-How he travels
(what I choose)
-How is he traveling
(what I thought to be correct, but ...
0
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1answer
105 views
“According to what you decided that I'm intelligence”
Is the sentence
"Based on what did you decide that I'm intelligence"
equals to the following sentence?
"According to what you decided that I'm intelligence"
If not, can you give me an ...
1
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1answer
62 views
Only when …verb
Which one of the following sentences is correct? and why?
"The protocol ensures that only when all the clients agree can the server compute the result."
"The protocol ensures that only when all the ...
