Explanations
Inversion after
negative adverbs
In formal speech and writing there is a special construction when the sentence
begins with a negative adverb (or one with negative meaning). The subject and
the verb are inverted from the normal form to a question form. Study the
examples below.
•
•
•
•
•
Inversion to
emphasize an
Not only
Harry not only missed the train, but also lost his case.
Not only did Harry miss the train, but (he) also lost his case.
(normal form)
(inversion)
No sooner
With no sooner the main verb is always in the past perfect.
Tim had no sooner left, than the phone rang.
No sooner had Tim left, than the phone rang.
(normal form)
(inversion)
Under no circumstances
You shouldn't touch these wires under any circumstances.
Under no circumstances should you touch these wires.
(normal form)
(inversion)
Seldom
I have seldom watched a better match.
Seldom have I watched a better match.
(normal form)
(inversion)
Other expressions which are followed by an inversion are:
little, never, not once, only then, only after, rarely
With some expressions we can begin the sentence with an adverb and then put
the verb before the subject.
•
With come and go we can start the sentence with an adverb of place. This
construction is used with exclamations. It is an informal usage.
Here comes Jack!
There goes my money!
Up went the plane into the clouds!
Along the road came Jim.
•
With live and stand we can start the sentence with an adverb of place. This is
a formal usage.
In this house lived Charles Dickens.
On a hill outside the town stands the castle.
•
With be we can begin the sentence with now.
Now is the best time to visit the Channel Islands.
181
FIRST C E R T I F I C A T E L A N G U A G E P R A C T I C E
Question tags
•
Sometimes a simple statement is too short and does not help the
conversation to develop in a friendly way.
You're French.
The other person does not know what to say. We can add a tag to the end of
the statement so that it becomes a question.
You're French, aren't you?
Now the other person knows that they have to reply and the conversation
can continue.
•
Tags are formed using auxiliaries {do, be, have or a modal).
Helen lives here, doesn't she?
You left early, didn't you?
Jack was born in Italy, wasn't he?
You will help me, won't you?
Someone's got to pay, haven't they?
•
A positive statement has a negative tag, and expects the answer Yes.
A: You agree with me, don't you?
B: Yes, I do.
A negative statement has a positive tag, and expects the answer No.
A: You don't take sugar, do you?
B: No, I don't.
It is possible for a positive tag to follow a positive statement, to express
interest, or ask for confirmation. This is less common.
So you like working here, do you?
Tags with will and won't can be used after imperatives.
Don't drive too fast, will you?
- Let's ... has a tag formed with shall.
Let's have a drink, shall we?
GRAMMAR 31
I N V E R S I O N A N D Q U E S T I O N TAGS
Underline the most suitable words in each sentence.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
2
Let's go to London next weekend, shall we/won't we?
You shouldn't have told me, did you/should you?
Jim hasn't been waiting long, was he/has he?
You won't tell anyone about this, do you/will you?
You're not doing what I told you, do you/are you?
Answer the phone for me, will you/do you?
George can't have noticed, can he/has he?
You've got to leave now, don't you/haven't you?
Pam and Tim got married last year, didn't they/haven't they?
I don't think John's very friendly, does he/is he?
Add suitable question tags. (Do not use positive tags for positive statements.)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
Don't leave anything behind, ...will you.. ?
David is bringing some wine,
?
You'll be home before midnight,
?
Harry was working in Bristol then,
?
Nobody knows who invented the wheel,
You don't need me any more,
?
The ticket to London doesn't cost a lot,
Let's invite the Smiths from next door,
You aren't too busy to talk,
?
Jean owns a restaurant,
?
?
?
?
183
FIRST C E R T I F I C A T E L A N G U A G E P R A C T I C E
3
Rewrite each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the same.
a) Tony was not only late, but he had left all his books behind.
Not only was Tony late, but he had left all his books behind.
b) I had no sooner gone to bed than someone rang my doorbell.
No sooner
c) I have seldom stayed in a worse hotel.
Seldom
'.
d) I have never heard such nonsense!
Never
e) I realised only then that I had lost my keys.
Only then
f) The economic situation has rarely been worse.
Rarely
g) The manager not once offered us an apology.
Not once
h) You should not send money to us by post under any circumstances.
Under no circumstances
i)
I understood Hamlet only after seeing it on the stage.
Only after seeing Hamlet
j) The embassy staff little realised that Ted was a secret agent.
Little
4
Rewrite each sentence so that it begins w i t h the w o r d or words in italics.
a) The best time to buy a house is now.
b) The bus came round the comer.
c) The price of petrol went up.
d) The Parthenon stands on the top of the Acropolis.
e) The wheels of the engine went round and round.
f) Winston Churchill lived in this house.
g) The flag went down.
h) The best part of the story comes now.
184
GRAMMAR 31
5
I N V E R S I O N A N D Q U E S T I O N TAGS
Decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.
Asking for advice
You don't happen to know how this computer works, (1)
(2)
had I bought it (3)
C.
?
I regretted spending so much
money! I haven't even got an instruction manual. (4)
did I
completely fail to understand the instructions, (5)
then I
accidentally threw the manual away. Now I'll never understand it,
(6)
, I said to myself. (7)
my weekend, I thought, but
then I remembered you. You've done a course on computers, (8)
Let's look at it together, (9)
, and try to understand it. You press
this button first, (10)
? Then (11)
this little light,
and a message that says 'Error'. It shouldn't do that, (12)
can fix it, (13)
?
? You
? Don't do that! This label says: '(14)
should an unqualified person remove this panel'. Well, you are unqualified,
(15)
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
Key points
1
2
? What do you mean, do it yourself!
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
are you
No sooner
that
Not only
than
can't I
It goes
isn't it
do we
don't you
on comes
does it
isn't it
Not only
isn't it
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
is it
After
but
Seldom
but
won't I
Goes it
haven't you
don't it
isn't it
comes on
should it
don't you
Only then
are you
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
do you
Not only
and
Not once
so
will I
Goes there
didn't you
shall we
can't you
it comes on
shouldn't it
can't you
Never
don't you
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
isn't it
As soon as
than
Only then
and
can I
There goes
don't you
aren't we
won't you
comes it on
won't it
can't it
Under no circumstances
aren't you
In formal speech and writing it is possible to use inversion after negative
adverbs. The adverb has to be at the beginning of the sentence or clause.
Intonation carries important meaning in question tags. Rising tags are
questions, falling tags are checking information.
(question)
(checking)
185