INVERSION (Αντιστροφη)

Inversion is common in ordinary spoken English in questions

(‘do you play golf?’); after here and there in exclamatory
sentences – ‘there goes the last bus!’; neither, nor – ‘he doesn’t
like spinach – neither / nor do I’; and so (he likes pizza – so do
I) – see also below
Certain adverbs and adverb phrases, mostly with a
negative sense can, for emphasis, be placed first in a sentence
and then be followed by the inverted (i.e., interrogative) form of
the verb. These cases of inversion are found mainly in written
English or in a very formal style of speaking.
These certain expressions (placed at the beginning of a
sentence) include:
A)Never (before), Not only……….but also, Nowhere, Only
after, Only by, Only if, Only when, Only in this way, No
sooner………….than, Rarely, Hardly (ever)…….when,
Barely, In no way, In / under no circumstances, Little, Not
even once, Not since, Not till / until, On no account, On no
occasion, Only then, Scarcely (ever)…….when, Seldom,
Nor / Neither

Little did he say about his accident.

[he said (very) little about his accident]
Rarely does he visit us
[he rarely visits us]

Examples:
- I have never seen a better performance (before)
 Never (before) have I seen a better performance!
- He not only went, but he also helped them
Not only did he go, but he also helped them
- I haven’t seen such a beautiful work of art anywhere!
Nowhere (else) have I seen such a beautiful work of art!
- You can get it only by luck
Only by luck can you get it!
- You can solve this problem only in this way
Only in this way can you solve this problem
- She had no sooner opened the door than she heard a pistol
shot
- No sooner had she opened the door than she heard a
pistol shot
- His friend had rarely been more helpful
Rarely had his friend been more helpful
- They had hardly started doing their homework when the
lights went out
Hardly had they started doing their homework when the
lights went out
- He speaks so softly that the students can’t hear him
So softly does he speak that the students can’t hear him
- He not only went but also took John with him
Not only did he go, but he also took John with him
- I have never before seen that man
Never before have I seen that man
- I could hardly walk
Hardly could I walk
- You can’t find such a place anywhere else
Nowhere else can you find such a nice place
- He speaks English so well that everybody thinks he is an
Englishman or an American
So well does he speak English that everybody thinks he is
an Englishman or an American
 - Not only do they learn to judge distance and timing, but
they also develop different strategies to beat their
opponents
- Not only do young people find sports really exciting, (but)
they also find them rewarding

- He learned who his real father was only much later

Not until much later did he learn who his real father was
- They realized how tired they were only when they had
finished
Not until they had finished did they realize how tired
they were
- They realized their mistake only when they handed in the
report
Not until they had handed in the report did they realize
their mistake
- You can go only after you finish your work
Not until you finish your work can you go
(μονο όταν τελειωσεις την δουλεια σου μπορεις να φυγεις)
Μεχρι δηλαδη να τελειωσεις δεν μπορεις να φυγεις

We can go on with the plan only if you agree

Only if you agree can we go on with the plan

Note:
When
only after, only by, only if, only when, not since, not till /
until
are put at the beginning of a sentence, we use inversion in the
main clause
[Only when you see him] [will you realize] [how much he has
suffered]
Only after / when they had left, did she burst into tears
Only if you have a key can you get into the house

B) After so + (adjective / adverb), such, to such a degree (in

clauses of result) placed at the beginning of a sentence
So hard does he work, that he will soon be promoted
So bad was the weather that they stayed at home
So difficult were the examinations that many students
complained
So short is she, that she can’t reach the shelf

C) In conditionals when should (+ infinitive), were (type 2),

had (+ past perfect – type 3) are placed at the beginning of
the sentence – note that ‘if’ is omitted
D)
Should you go out, leave the key under the mat [if you should
go out, ………type 1]
Were I you, I would apologize [if I were you, ………type 2]
Had he been invited, he would have come [if he had been
invited, ……..type 3]

- After so, neither / nor, as, in order to express agreement.

I enjoy comedies – so do I (= I enjoy comedies, too)
Agreement with a positive statement
He didn’t play – neither / nor did I (= I didn’t play either)
Agreement with a negative statement
Her relatives loved her, as did her friends

- In exclamatory sentences (after the adverbs of place ‘here’

and ‘there’)
There goes my last euro! (there it goes – pronouns precede the
verb, while nouns follow the verb)
Here come the champions! (here they come)

Finally, in direct speech when the reporting verb follows the

quote and the subject is in the form of a noun, we also have
inversion
‘What a nice hat!’ said Mary
‘What a nice dress!’ she said
‘What awful weather!’ said Sarah
‘What a nice coat!’ she said (the subject is in the form of a
pronoun)
‘What a terrible accident!’ he said

EXERCISES

1. Rewrite these sentences, starting with the word or

phrase in bold print and using inversion
 a) The Prime Minister has rarely been less
popular……………………………………………………
b) He not only lost all his money playing cards, but also his
watch
Not only………………………………………………………
c) She had never felt so insulted in all her life
Never…………………………………………………………
d) He can succeed only by hard work
Only by ……………………………………………………….
e) We had no sooner bought the house than my wife saw one
she liked better!
No sooner……………………………………………………….
f) My leg had hardly mended before I broke the other one
Hardly ………………………………………………………….
g) The Germans had not met with such fierce resistance
anywhere else
Nowhere else …………………………………………………..
h) Mr. Turner pays so badly that no-one wants to work for
him
So ……………………………………………………………
i) They not only gave me a bed, but they also lent me some
money
Not only ………………………………………………………
j) We had hardly finished smoking when the waiter brought
the bill
Hardly …………………………………………………………
 2. Choose the correct phrase to complete these sentences

a) Never in my life ………………….such a beautiful sunset!

(I have seen – have I seen)
b) Rarely ………………………….the Managing Director so
angry
(I had seen – had I seen)
c) They …………………………into the flat than the
telephone started ringing
(had no sooner got - no sooner did they get)
d) Only with his help………………………… the company
(we can save – can we save)
e) Only in the National Museum …………………a better
collection of ancient Greek statues.
(there is – is there)

3. Rewrite the following sentences in such a way as to give

emphasis to the words in bold
a) I have never met such a polite person before.
Never before………………………………………………….
b) He not only refused to pay for his dinner, but he was rude
to the waiter as well.
Not only………………………………………………………
c) He was so tired that he could hardly walk
So …………………………………………………………
d) She had no sooner come that she fell ill
No sooner ………………………………………………….
 e) Mr. Smith speaks so rapidly that no-one understands him
So rapidly…………………………………………………….
f) I could not find this instrument anywhere else
Nowhere else……………………………………………….
g) He had no sooner met Anne that he married her
No sooner……………………………………………….
h) She was so late for class that everybody thought she
would not come
So late………………………………………………………..