302 inversion (1): auxiliary verb before subject We put an auxiliary verb (and non-auxiliary have and be) directly before the subject of a clause in several different structures. 1° questions Have your father and mother arrived? (Nov Have-arrived-your-father-and mrother?) Where is the concert taking place? (wot Where-is-taking place the-eoncert?) (vor is-tatis ! ‘Spoken questions do not always have this word order (see 481). You're coming tomorrow? Indirect questions do not usually have this order (see 276). I wondered what time the film was starting. (Not .. -whattimewasthefilm starting:) if page 279inversion (1): auxiliary verb before subject 302 However, in formal writing inversion is sometimes used with be in indirect questions after how, especially when the subject is long. I wondered how reliable was the information I had been given. For more information about questions, see 480-486. exclamations Exclamations (see 195) often have the form of negative questions (see 368). Isn't it cold? Hasn't she got lovely eyes? In spoken American English, exclamations often have the same form as ordinary (non-negative) questions. Have you got a surprise coming! Was I mad! Ina rather old-fashioned literary style, inversion is sometimes found in exclamations after how and what. How beautiful are the flowers! What a peaceful place is Skegness! with may May can come before the subject in wishes. May all your wishes come true! May he rot in hell! after so, neither, nor In ‘short answers’ and similar structures, these words are followed by auxiliary verb + subject. I'm hungry. ~So am I. J don’t like opera. ~Neither/Nor do I. For more details of these structures, see S41 and 374. after as, than and so Inversion sometimes happens after as, than and so in a literary style. She was very religious, as were most of her friends. City dwellers have a higher death rate than do country people. So ridiculous did she look that everybody burst out laughing. conditional clauses In formal and literary conditional clauses, an auviliary verb can be put before the subject instead of using if (see 261.5). Were she my daughter If she were my daughter . Had I realised what you intended ... (= If | had realised . Negatives are not contracted in this case. Had we not spent all our money already, ... (ot Hadn'twe-spent.....) after negative and restrictive expressions If a negative adverb or adverbial expression is put at the beginning of a clause for emphasis, it is usually followed by auxiliary verb + subject. These structures are mostly rather formal. Under no circumstances can we cash cheques. At no time was the President aware of what was happening. Not until much later did she learn who her real father was. ) page 280303 inversion (2): whole verb before subject 303 The same structure is possible after a complete clause beginning not until... Not until he received her letter did he fully understand her feelings. Inversion is also used after restrictive words like hardly (in BrE), seldom, rarely, little and never, and after only + time expression. This is formal or literary. Hardly had I arrived when trouble started. (BrE) Seldom have I seen such a remarkable creature, Little did he realise the danger he faced. Never ... was so much owed by so many to so few. (Churchill) Only then did I understand what she meant. Only after her death was I able to appreciate her. Not only did we lose our money, but we were nearly killed. Not a single word did he say. Inversion is not used after not far... and not long... Not far from here you can see foxes. (Not Not-far-from-here-ean-you....) Not long after that she got married. inversion (2): whole verb before subject after adverbial expressions of place When an adverbial expression of place or direction comes at the beginning of a clause, intransitive verbs are often put before their subjects. This happens especially when a new indefinite subject is being introduced. The structure is most common in literary and descriptive writing. Under a tree was lying one of the biggest men I had ever seen. On the grass sat an enormous frog. Directly in front of them stood a great castle. Along the road came a strange procession. This structure is often used in speech with here, there and other short adverbs and adverb particles. Here comes Freddy! (not Here-Freddy-comes.) There goes your brother. I stopped the car, and up walked a policeman. The door opened and out came Angela's boyfriend. If the subject is a pronoun, it goes before the verb. Here she comes. (vot Here-comes-she) Off we go! reporting In story-telling, the subject often comes after reporting verbs like said, asked, suggested etc when these follow direct speech. ‘What do you mean? asked Henry. (on ... Henry asked) ‘love you,’ whispered Jan. If the subject is a pronoun, it usually comes before the verb. ‘What do you mean?" he asked. page 281513 sentence structure (5): fronting 513 sentence structure (5): fronting People like that | just can’t stand Affirmative sentences most often begin with the grammatical subject. I just can't stand people like that. If we begin a sentence with something else (‘fronting’), this is often to make it the topic - the thing we are talking about ~ even though it is not the grammatical subject. This can also move the main new information to the end ~ its most natural position (see 512). This question we have already discussed at some length. All the other information which you need I am putting in the post today. (from a business letter) Any video in our catalogue we can supply, if available. (Notice in music shop.) Fronting is particularly common in speech. People like that I just can’t stand. (A) fat lot of good that does me. (= ‘That doesn't do me much good’, but putting strong emphasis on me.) Question-word clauses are often fronted. What I'm going to do next I just don't know. How she got the gun through customs we never found out. Very good lesson we had Fronting words in short sentences can also give them extra emphasis. This happens mostly in speech. Strange people they are! Very good lesson we had yesterday. Last for ever these shoes will. In a few exclamatory expressions, a noun is fronted before that, but this is uncommon in modem English. Fool that I was! ellipsis: Postman been? In a very informal style, articles, pronouns and auxiliary verbs are often left out, bringing a more important word to the front of the clause. This is called ‘ellipsis’: for details, see 179. Postman been? Seen John? Sometimes ellipsis is used to front a verb and/or complement, while the subject is put in a ‘tag’ (see 514) at the end. Likes his beer, Stephen does. Funny, your brother. Nice day, isn't it? adverbs etc: Off we go! Many adverbs and adverbial expressions can go at the beginning of a clause (see 22). This often happens when we are using the adverbs to structure a piece of narrative or a description. Once upon a time there were three little pigs. One day ... Then... Soon after that... After dark, ... Inside the front door there is... Opposite the living room is ... On the right you can see... At the top of the stairs ... > page 503514 sentence structure (6): spoken structures and tags 514 Adverb particles are often fronted when giving instructions to small children. Off we go! Down you come! Inversion (see 302-303) is necessary after some emphatic fronted adverbs and adverbial expressions. Under no circumstances can we accept cheques. (ot Under-no cirenmstances-we-ean-...) Round the corner came Mrs Porter. fronting with as or though Fronted adjectives and adverbs are possible in a structure with as or though {see 71). Young as I was, I realised what was happening. Tired though she was, she went on working. Fast though she drove, she could not catch them. Much as I respect his work, I cannot agree with him. ‘See also entries on basic word order (509) information structure (512), ‘spacing out’ information in speech (514, tags (514), emphasis (184) and cleft sentences (130-131). For the use of passive and other structures to bring objects to the front, see 512.3, 414.1. sentence structure (6): spoken structures and tags This guy who rang up, he’s an architect In informal speech, we often ‘space out’ the different elements of a sentence, giving the hearer a little extra time to interpret each part befure going on to the next. Last Wednesday it was, I was just going to work, ... It's terrible, you know, the unemployment down there. One way of spacing out information is to separate a subject or object, announce it at the front of a sentence, and then repeat it with a pronoun. George Best — now he was a good player. This guy who rang up, he's an architect. Well, ... That couple we met in Berlin, we don't want to send them a card, do we? One of my brothers, his wife's a singer, he says ... This does not usually happen with pronoun subjects, but me and myself are occasionally detached and fronted. Me, I don't care. Myself, I think you're making a big mistake. Another common way of separating part of a sentence is to introduce it with You know ... You know Sylvia. Well, she...71 as and though: special word order adjective/adverb/noun + as + clause As and though can be used in a special structure after an adjective, adverb or noun, In this case they both mean ‘although’, and suggest an emphatic contrast. (In AmE only as is normally used like this; though is unusual.) Cold as/though it was, we went out. (= Although it was very cold, ...) Bravely as/though they fought, they had no chance of winning. ‘Much as/though I respect your point of view, I can’t agree. Strange though it may seem, I don’t like watching cricket. Scot though she was, she supported the English team. Occasionally as can be used in this structure to mean ‘because’. Tired as she was, I decided not to disturb her. In American English, as... as is common. As cold as it was, we went out. For the word order in structures like f did as good a job as I could, see 14, page 66