Inversion in Negative Sentences
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Sometimes we want to make a negative sentence stronger or more formal. One way to do this is by using negative adverbs and adverbial phrases at the start of a sentence, and putting the verb after. We call this inversion. It makes the sentence more formal or emphatic.
- Never have I seen such a beautiful view. (This is stronger than I have never...)
- Seldom do I eat fast food. (This is stronger than I seldom eat fast food)
- Rarely am I so shocked.
- Under no circumstances should you open that door.
How does it work?
The rules for inversion depend on whether your sentence has an auxiliary verb, is in simple tense or uses the verb 'be'.
1. With auxiliary verbs (have, will, etc.)
When a sentence already has an auxiliary verb, put the first auxiliary before the subject and leave the rest of the verb after it. If there's more than one auxiliary verb, just make the inversion with the first auxiliary and leave the rest.| I have never seen such a beautiful view. | Never have I seen such a beautiful view. |
| She will not only have been working, but she will also be exhausted. | Not only will she have been working, but she will also be exhausted. ('have been working' stays the same). |
2. Present/past simple (no auxiliary)
If there is no auxiliary, we add 'do/does/did' for present and past simple:| I rarely ate fast food. | Rarely did I eat fast food. |
| She seldom watches TV. | Seldom does she watch TV. |
3. With 'be'
When the verb is 'be', no extra auxiliary is needed. Just invert the verb and the subject.| I'm not only happy, but I'm also relaxed. | Not only am I happy, but I'm also relaxed. |
| She was not only tired, but she was also hungry. | Not only was she tired, but she was also hungry. |
The table below shows the most common negative adverbs and phrases, their normal sentence order and how they look with inversion.
| Negative Adverb / Phrase | Normal Sentence | Inversion Sentence |
| Never | I have never seen such a beautiful view. | Never have I seen such a beautiful view. |
| Seldom | I seldom eat fast food. | Seldom do I eat fast food. |
| Rarely | I am rarely so shocked. | Rarely am I so shocked. |
| Hardly | He had hardly arrived when it started raining. | Hardly had he arrived when it started raining. |
| Scarcely | She had scarcely finished her homework when the phone rang. | Scarcely had she finished her homework when the phone rang. |
| Barely | I had barely opened the door when it started to rain. | Barely had I opened the door when it started to rain. |
| Nowhere | You can find such a view nowhere. | Nowhere can you find such a view. |
| Not only... but also | She not only won the race, but she also broke the record. | Not only did she win the race, but she also broke the record. |
| On no account | You must not leave early on any account. | On no account are you to leave early. |
| Under no circumstances | You should not open that door under any circumstances. | Under no circumstances should you open that door. |
| Not once | He did not complain even once. | Not once did he complain. |
| In no way | I am in no way responsible for that mistake. | In no way am I responsible for that mistake. |
| At no time | I was at no time aware of the problem. | At no time was I aware of the problem. |
Tip:
- Use inversion mainly for formal writing or emphasis.
- Adverbs like 'hardly, scarcely, barely' often need past perfect for inversion (e.g., Hardly had I arrived...).
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