Questions tagged [subject-auxiliary-inversion]
For questions about sentences where an auxiliary verb has been moved to a spot before the subject. Also called subject-operator inversion.
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"Less known is that 48% of them are left handed" — "Less known" is put in front. Is this inversion possible because "less" has a negative connotation?
wordreference.com:
(1) Everyone knows that China has a large population, less known is that 48% of them are left handed, lesser known is that 45% of them play the violin and least known is the fact ...
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"Of countless such cavils does a busy lexicographer’s working day consist"— Why does this inversion use "does"? Can I move "consists" forward instead?
blog.collinsdictionary.com:
(1) Of countless such cavils does a busy lexicographer’s working day consist.
The inversion here has the auxiliary verb "does" although, usually, such an ...
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"Is monarchy relevant in the modern world or should it be abolished?"— Is it correct not to invert the word order and say "or it should be abolished"?
an example from the section "More examples" on cambridge.org:
(1) Is monarchy relevant in the modern world or should it be abolished?
Is it necessary to invert the word order in the second ...
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"Will patrons kindly note that this restaurant will be closed on 17 July." — Why is it possible to use inversion here without a question mark?
cambridge.org:
(1) Will patrons kindly note that this restaurant will be closed on 17 July.
There is no question mark but the word order is inverted.
How to explain the presence of inversion here?
...
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Not only at the beginning of a sentence without inversion
There is one strange passage in Practical English Usage:
In the rather formal structure not only ... but also, the expressions not only and but also can go immediately before the words or expressions ...
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About inversion and exclamations
While reading Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, I found (p. 270, inversion section) that:
In spoken American English, exclamations often have the same form as ordinary
(non-negative) questions ...
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Why is inversion used in "...than do apes in the wild"?
I wanted to know why there is inversion in the last part of the following sentence.
Apes raised by humans seem to protect more frequently than do apes in the wild.
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Expressions with "and boy was I....." Idiomatic expression?
I'm having a hard time understanding this (idiomatic expression? maybe?) What does it mean, and why is it constructed like that? Why does the verb come first?
Why is it Boy WAS I.. and not Boy I WAS......
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why (have I unlocked) and not (I have unlocked) since it’s not a question?
A quote from Mel Robbins' book (The five second rule):
“Only through action have I unlocked the power inside of me to become the person that I have always wanted to be“
why did she say (have I ...
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Should 'do' after 'than' be inverted in this sentence?
That is, Strangers stand further apart than acquaintances do is ungrammatical? I have often encountered inverted clauses after than, as, so in comparatives, so the sentence above seems - at least to ...
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What is it called when a grammatical statement is delivered as a question?
When a person says a grammatically correct sentence, but it's not clear from the way they say, whether it's a question or a statement, what's this delivery called?
So when the sentence is written down,...
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"For no money would she leave" vs "For no money she would leave"
I read a linguistic paper saying that the two sentences have opposite meanings.
For no money would she leave.
For no money she would leave.
The paper says...
(1) means she wouldn't leave even if ...
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You're from which country or which country you're from
1.You're going to school?
2.You're from which country?
Are their structures grammatical? I think they're supposed to be:
(1) Are you going to school?
(2) Which country are you from?
So which ones are ...
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Which word order is correct, "explain why I am" or "explain why am I"? [duplicate]
I was trying to formulate a question yesterday I used the second sentence, however, I keep wondering if that was correct.
Can someone explain to me why I am ...? or
Can someone explain to me why am ...
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Never did I see her again
a. Never again did I see her.
b. Never did I see her again.
I'd use (a) over (b). But is (b) natural? If so, is there any difference in meaning?
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Why does the sentence uses a question form, but it is put a period in the end?
People can watch dancing displays or can take part in different games. Nowhere, however, do they have more fun than in the Mexican town of Puebla.
Why does the sentence in bold use a question form, ...
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the use of subject-verb inversion
The following quote is from Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser:
What Drouet said about the girl's grace, as she tripped out evenings accompanied by her mother, caused Carrie to perceive the nature and ...
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the number of auxiliary verbs after "as" and "so"
I'm interested how many auxiliary verbs can stand after "as" and "so". By "how many" I mean one (e.g. "would") or two (e.g. "would be") or three (e.g. ...
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Which question tag is correct: “do / don't / have / haven't they?”
"The children hardly have problems waking up early for school, _______?"
do they
don't they
have they
haven't they
I am not sure which is the right tag question, also called Question tag ...
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Is the final sentence grammatical? What is its meaning? [closed]
Is the final sentence grammatical? What is its meaning?
In reply to the first question, some said that to know the right time for every action, one must draw up in advance, a table of days, months ...
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Is the sentence "How many we had this morning" correct?
Let's say I had an exact number of tasks at the beginning of a day, and I forgot in the evening how many I had when the work day had started. What is the correct or more casual way to phrase that ...
Fiat Education
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"should I" or "I should" in wh-question [closed]
Which of the sentences below is correct (plus explanation if possible)? If both of them are incorrect, in any way, please suggest me another way to say it.
Which version I should choose to work with?
...
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Does he *has* a ball?
As we know, third person singular uses "has" instead of "have". But why do you say, "Does he have a ball? Yes, he has a ball."
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No way was I going vs No way I was going
Can you explain to me why there is so order of words in the sentence (from my book):
I'd been asking Mom for a year to let me go back to Ridgefield, our hometown in Illinois, and see my friends. No ...
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Subject-auxiliary inversion in affirmative answers?
I came across a sentence as follows.
Most teachers attest to the superior intelligence Ralph has
displayed. Because of this, one of the teachers wants to register him
in a local quiz show. When he is ...
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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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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 ...
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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 ...
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'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 ...
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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 ...
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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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"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 ...
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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 ...
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“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?
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"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 ...
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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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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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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" ...
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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 ...
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'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 ...
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Why is there inversion in "Whose gloves are these?" but not "Whose book won the prize?"?
I was told that we don't use inversion when asking about the subject of a sentence.
I encountered these two sentences while surfing the internet.
Whose book won the prize?
Whose gloves are these?
If ...
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Please tell me how much {I should / should I} pay for this
I am confused about the correct order of the modal verb (should) and the pronoun (I) in the example below. Generally, I feel that the sentence is a request, which implies it is a question. Must the ...
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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:
...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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"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.
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