My English blog

Inversion is a grammatical device which changes the place of the subject and verb, although the sentence is not a question. The reason for using inversion is emphasis and it is mainly used in written form.i

a) negative adverb

You should smoke on no account

On no account should you smoke

I have never seen such a sceen

Never have I seen such a seen

She didn't say a word all evening

Not a word did she say all evening

b) adverb of degree: so- such- little

He was so frightened that he couldn't speak

So frightened was he that he couldn't speak

He little understands others' problems

Little does he understand others' problems

c) adverb of emphasis

He understood the matter only after alot of explanation

Only after alot of explanation did he understand the matter

However inversion is not possible when

a) Negation relates to the subject

Few people know about this

b) Negative adverb refers to the whole sentence

No doubt, he is a good student

c) If the positive aspects of the adverb overrides the negative aspects

We agreed on all but a few minor points

On all but a few minor points we agreed (Two possible ways without inversion )i

Dear learners, by practicing in this field  and using it,you can improve your writting to a kind of advanced one!i