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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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.
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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 ...
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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?
...
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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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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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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....
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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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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 (...
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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)?
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In “Does he have it?”, why doesn't ‘have’ agree with ‘he’?
We say "He/She has it", ie "he" or "she" which are singular is followed by "has". Similarly "they" or "you" which are plural, are followed ...
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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?
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"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 ...
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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,...
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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 ...
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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. ...
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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....
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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, ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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).
user2244523
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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 ...
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"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?
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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?
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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.
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"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 ...
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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 ...
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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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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 ...
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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 ...
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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.
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"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?
user45327
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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 ...
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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 ...
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"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 ...
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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.
rafidkarim
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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. ...
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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 ...
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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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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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"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?
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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 ...
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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?
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'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 ...
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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?
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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"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 ...
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