Questions tagged [subject-auxiliary-inversion]
The subject-auxiliary-inversion tag has no usage guidance.
84
questions
5
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2answers
1k views
Why does "would" come up here?
I've been confused about the following sentence. I can't find a subject and a verb, and I can't understand why "would" is here. Can anyone tell me the structure of this sentence?
Only when ...
1
vote
0answers
52 views
Why is inversion applied in some subordinate interrogative clauses when a subject is asked for?
Preamble
The main concern of this post was discussed in this thread. However, both the OP and I were not convinced of the explanation in the existing answer and comments. I tried to talk to the author ...
0
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0answers
22 views
'Said distracted mum' vs 'distracted mum said'?
I write fairytale, and I wonder if I can write something like:
"'It was strange.' Said distracted mum"
or maybe the form "distracted mum said" has to be for every time? I'd like ...
1
vote
1answer
17 views
word order in a sentence starting with "Not even when"
Not even when the doorbell rang could Mary rise from the bed.
Not even when the doorbell rang Mary could rise from the bed.
Are both sentences correct? If so, is there a difference in usage between ...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
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."
0
votes
2answers
37 views
"once in a blue moon" and "rarely"
Does "once in a blue moon," an expression that means "very rarely," also require inversion?
Rarely does he work at night.
He rarely works at night.
Once in a blue moon does he ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
How does "had" change the meaning in the sentece "Only once had she put the doctrine of non-interference into practice, when...."
First I thought it was the phenomenon of "Conditional inversion", but the full sentence does not contain a hypothetical situation but a past occurrence, so that shouldn't be the case (Should ...
0
votes
1answer
197 views
“Can you tell me where did you buy it?” [duplicate]
Is it correct to say the following as an indirect question?
Can you tell me where did you buy it?
or should it be
Can you tell me where you bought it?
4
votes
1answer
106 views
"With no jobs Bobby would be happy." and "With no jobs would Bobby be happy." What's your interpretation of these?
For this couple of days, I'm reading a book titled English sentences Japanese people always get wrong (Written by Toshiya Echizen), and have some questions regarding the interpretation of some example ...
1
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1answer
32 views
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?
0
votes
1answer
13 views
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 ...
0
votes
1answer
72 views
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
1
vote
1answer
31 views
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?
0
votes
1answer
61 views
May he rest in peace. Why subject-auxiliary inversion?
I understand that this is a kind of a set phrase to express the hope that his spirit has found peace after death, but I don't understand why subject-auxiliary inversion occurs, and the "May" ...
3
votes
1answer
519 views
Subject-operator inversion
If a sentence begins with a negative or semi-negative word / phrase, it causes subject-operator inversion :
"In no other way can the matter be explained."
"Hardly had I seen Sam when he ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
'Not until three years ago _________ to work outside.' [(a) he began (b) he begins (c) began he (d) did he begin ]
'Not until three years ago _________ to work outside.'
[(a) he began (b) he begins (c) began he (d) did he begin ]
Hi guys, I know the answer to this question is 'd', but I've had someone ask me ...
0
votes
1answer
38 views
auxiliary in inversion without a negation
I thought we must use auxiliary verbs in sentences with inversion only when we have an explicit (not, never) or implicit (only if, hardly, little) negation. But I have come across the next sentence:
...
1
vote
1answer
47 views
Auxiliary verb at the beginning
The auxiliary verb can come at the beginning of a sentence and that wasn't a question like this
It is quite possible that, had they been born into a life of privilege, they wouldn't have committed ...
0
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1answer
22 views
Subject Auxiliary Inversion and the usage of 'ever' and 'never'
Please let me know if the following sentences is correct:
1- Have you never tried the Doritos Wasabi flavor?
My question is related to using 'have' with 'never'. I've seen the present perfect with ...
0
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0answers
41 views
Ask about the reason of not giving money to people by banks
Suppose you live in a country, and an economical issue was happened, and the country's banks refuse giving money back to people ... what is the best way to ask about the reason?
Why are not banks ...
0
votes
1answer
189 views
Not long before ... , inversion?
I got this question in my English exam this morning and have been wondering about it:
So my questions are:
Can "Not long before [something happened/an event/a point in time]" be seen grammatically ...
3
votes
2answers
166 views
"Don't I just bet you were"
What does ""Don't I just bet you were" mean in the following?
A: I was about to demonstrate how to use the tool.
B: Don't I just bet you were.
I'd appreciate your help.
1
vote
1answer
589 views
Difference between 'I don't know how can I' and 'I don't know how I can'?
I am confused between
I don't know how can I do this
and
I don't know how I can do this
Can anyone explain difference between these sentences?
0
votes
1answer
84 views
Subject-verb inversion in 'as' clause and passive voice
A.I. programs used to help judges predict which criminals are most likely to reoffend have shown troubling racial biases, as have those designed to help child protective services decide which calls ...
0
votes
1answer
5k views
what time it is / is it
The native speaker told the second sentence is incorrect.
Could you please explain why?
(1) What time is it?
(2) I don't know what time it is.
1
vote
1answer
2k 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
votes
1answer
45 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
vote
1answer
922 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
votes
1answer
305 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 ...
0
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0answers
1k 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 ...
0
votes
0answers
343 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....
1
vote
3answers
837 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. ...
0
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3answers
82 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
votes
1answer
61 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
votes
1answer
52 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
votes
2answers
115 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
vote
1answer
70 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
votes
1answer
75 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
213 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
votes
1answer
54 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
vote
1answer
231 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
votes
3answers
302 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
vote
1answer
538 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
votes
1answer
64 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
votes
1answer
373 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 ...
2
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2answers
7k 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
51 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
votes
1answer
81 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.
27
votes
5answers
10k 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
votes
2answers
1k 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 ...