Inversion in English Grammar – Examples & Worksheet

 GRAMMAR

Such a mystery is English grammar inversion that we wonder how we can decipher it. When looking to expand your English vocabulary and upgrade your writing to more than just subject-plus-verb sentences, inversions can be of great help. See what inversion grammar is, how to use it in a sentence, and explore the different situations where it might be useful as I explain everything.

Inversion Explained

Inversion is a style where we change the natural order of the words in a sentence. I know it sounds strange, but it can work when done well. This goes beyond the inversion of a subject and verb and is used with more complexity to creating interesting sentence structures.

What Is an Inversion in English Grammar?

Inversion is a term used in English sentences to describe a situation where a word or phrase is placed at the beginning of a normal sentence rather than in its usual position at the end. It means you’re changing the natural order of the words in a sentence.

This can be used for stylistic purposes, to create a more complex or emphatic sentence structure, or simply for variety. In many cases, inverting words and phrases also involves changing their order from normal.

I’ve used it in my own writing from time to time. But if you’re writing fiction, I’d advise you to use this writing device sparingly.

A common type of inversion involves using adverbs or adjectives before main verbs. An inversion is a useful tool that can help to add variety and complexity to sentence structure, whether you are writing casually or formally.

Inversion of subject sentence examples:

Never have I been more insulted in my life!

Gone are the days when this used to be a peaceful town.

Such greatness lies in the human heart; it knows no boundaries.

Had you paid attention to me, we wouldn’t be in this mess!

What Are Inversions in Writing?

An inversion can contribute to various effects, from adding emphasis to creating a sense of suspense or irony. For instance, instead of saying, “I will go there tomorrow,” one might use an inversion by saying, “Tomorrow I will go there.”

In this case, the unexpected word order adds a subtle sense of urgency to the statement by pulling the focus away from the expected subject and verb.

This emphasis could be further strengthened by using an inversion and emphatic stress, such as “Right now, I have to go there!” or “Not today – tomorrow!”

Other techniques for using inversions include intentionally misdirecting the reader by inverting explicit clues to obscure certain information or drawing attention to certain key elements through unusual syntax.

Ultimately, an effective writer needs to carefully consider both the effect that they want to achieve and how best to accomplish it with the craft tools at their disposal – which may very well include the use of an inversion.

Why Is Inversion Used in English?

Inversion plays an important role in English grammar, providing a variety of functions both within and across sentences. For starters, inversions are often used to create a rhetorical impact or express surprise.

This can be seen, for example, in expressions like “Here comes the Sun!” where the normal word order is inverted for greater emphasis. In addition, inversions are often used to focus on a specific part of the sentence.

For instance, if we wished to highlight a particular object as being unique or noteworthy in some way, we might insert an “inverted” object into our phrasing: “A fugitive was all that lay between me and freedom.”

Inversion is used for formal, dramatic, or emphatic purposes.

What Are the Types of Inversion in Grammar?

The most common type of grammar inversion is when we form questions.

For example:

They are listening. -> Are they listening?

Another type of grammar inversion is when we have negative adverbs. In formal writing and speech, adverbs with negative meanings go at the start of the sentence for added emphasis.

Some negative adverb examples include scarcely, seldom, never, hardly, barely, rarely, etc.

Examples of inverted sentences with negative adverbs:

Rarely does one see a gesture of good faith these days.

Never have I seen someone more beautiful than you.

“Here” and “there” are words that can also be found in inverted sentences. They have to be used as adverbs of place to create an inversion.

Examples:

Here is the book you wanted to borrow.

I glanced across the room, and there was Candace in her beautiful red dress.

Another type of inversion in English is when we have “so” and “such.” To form inversions, remember the following two formulas:

So + adjective + that + to be

Such + to be + noun

Let’s look at this type of inversion in a sentence:

So mesmerizing was the night that we met.

Such are the troubles of the human mind.

You can also form an inversion by starting a sentence with the word “little.”

For example:

Little did I know who was at the other end of the phone line.

Here is a more comprehensive list of negative adverbs and phrases used to make inversion:

Only later

Not only

In no way

Seldom

Scarcely

Rarely

Never

Hardly

Only then

Only in this way

On no account

No sooner

So

Such

Only by

Under no circumstance

Inversion With the Present Simple and Past Simple

When we speak or write in the present simple and past simple tenses, we don’t use any form of the auxiliary verb “to do.”

This means that when looking to create inversions, auxiliary verbs are used the same as when forming questions.

If you’re confused, here is what these inversions would look like:

She rarely shows up on time.

Rarely does she show up on time.

Inversion in Questions

You can take any normal sentence and invert it into a question.

John will go to the university. (Normal sentence)

Will John go to the university? (Question)

Celia has done the homework. (Normal sentence)

Has Celia done the homework? (Question)  

Wrap Up

Inversion is a style where we change the natural order of the words in a sentence. It’s tricky to master, but when done right, it can elevate your writing. It is used in English grammar to describe a situation where a word or phrase is placed at the beginning of a sentence rather than in its usual position at the end. Inversions are often used to create a rhetorical impact or express surprise.

1. I have never seen her so happy. (Never)
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2. They never suspected Sarah was the one responsible. (Little)
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3. The police came from around the corner. (Around)
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4. Leslie was so beautiful; all eyes were on her. (So)
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5. Mike didn't have time to think about the situation until later. (Only later)
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6. You should never read another person's mail. (On no account)
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7. My mother never agrees with my opinions. (In no way)
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8. We hardly see each other anymore. (Hardly)

We use inversion in several different situations in English. Inversion just means putting the verb before the subject. We usually do it in question forms:

Normal sentence: You are tired. (The subject is 'you'. It's before the verb 'are'.)

Question form: Are you tired? (The verb 'are' is before the subject 'you'. They have changed places. This is called inversion.)

In most English verb tenses, when we want to use inversion, we just move the verb to before the subject. If there's more than one verb, because a verb tense has auxiliary verbs for example, we move the first verb.

With two verb tenses where we just change the places of the verb and subject:

Present simple with 'be': am I / are you / is he

Past simple with 'be': were you / was she

With other verbs tenses, we change the place of the subject and the auxiliary verb (the first auxiliary verb if there is more than one). We don't move the other parts of the verb:

Present continuous: am I going / are you going

Past continuous: was he going / were they going

Present perfect: have we gone / has she gone

Present perfect continuous: has she been going / have they been going

Past perfect: had you gone

Past perfect continuous: had he been going

Future simple: will they go

Future continuous: will you be going

Future perfect: will they have gone

Future perfect continuous: will she have been going

Modal verbs: should I go / would you go

There are two tenses where we need to add 'do / does / did' to make the question form. We also need to change the main verb back to the infinitive. This is usually still called inversion.

Present simple with any verb except 'be' (add 'do' or 'does'): do you go / does he go

Past simple with any verb except 'be' (add 'did'): did we go / did they go

When do we use inversion? Of course, we use inversion in questions. You can read more about this here. But we also sometimes use inversion in other cases, when we are not making a question.

1: When we use a negative adverb or adverb phrase at the beginning of the sentence.

Usually, we put the expression at the beginning of the sentence to emphasize what we're saying. It makes our sentence sound surprising or striking or unusual. It also sounds quite formal. If you don't want to give this impression, you can put the negative expression later in the sentence in the normal way:

Seldom have I seen such beautiful work.

('Seldom' is at the beginning, so we use inversion. This sentence emphasizes what beautiful work it is.)

I have seldom seen such beautiful work.

('Seldom' is in the normal place, so we don't use inversion. This is a normal sentence with no special emphasis.)

Here are some negative adverbs and adverb phrases that we often use with inversion:

Hardly Hardly had I got into bed when the telephone rang.

Never Never had she seen such a beautiful sight before.

Seldom Seldom do we see such an amazing display of dance.

Rarely Rarely will you hear such beautiful music.
 Barely Barely had she got back in bed when her alarm went off.  

Only then Only then did I understand why the tragedy had happened.

Not only ... but Not only does he love chocolate and sweets but he also smokes.

No sooner No sooner had we arrived home than the police rang the doorbell.

Scarcely Scarcely had I got off the bus when it crashed into the back of a car.

Only later Only later did she really think about the situation.

Nowhere Nowhere have I ever had such bad service.

Little Little did he know!

Only in this way Only in this way could John earn enough money to survive.

In no way In no way do I agree with what you're saying.

On no account On no account should you do anything without asking me first.

In the following expressions, the inversion comes in the second part of the sentence:

Not until Not until I saw John with my own eyes did I really believe he was safe.

Not since Not since Lucy left college had she had such a wonderful time.

Only after Only after I'd seen her flat did I understand why she wanted to live there.

Only when Only when we'd all arrived home did I feel calm.

Only by Only by working extremely hard could we afford to eat.

We only use inversion when the adverb modifies the whole phrase and not when it modifies the noun: Hardly anyone passed the exam. (No inversion.)

2: We can use inversion instead of 'if' in conditionals with 'had' 'were' and 'should'. This is quite formal:

Normal conditional: If I had been there, this problem wouldn't have happened.

Conditional with inversion: Had I been there, this problem wouldn't have happened.

Normal conditional: If we had arrived sooner, we could have prevented this tragedy!

Conditional with inversion: Had we arrived sooner, we could have prevented this tragedy!

3: We can use inversion if we put an adverbial expression of place at the beginning on the sentence. This is also quite formal or literary:

On the table was all the money we had lost. (Normal sentence: All the money we had lost was on the table.)

Round the corner came the knights. (Normal sentence: The knights came round the corner.)

4: We can use inversion after 'so + adjective...that':

So beautiful was the girl that nobody could talk of anything else. (Normal sentence: the girl was so beautiful that nobody could talk of anything else.)

So delicious was the food that we ate every last bite. (Normal sentence: the food was so delicious that we ate every last bite.)

Inversion in other expressions:

Many other negative and affirmative sentences use inversion.

1. Affirmative and negative agreement: only after so, nor, neither but not in the cases of either and too. 

Examples:

Alex went to the club, and so did his brother.

Alex went to the club, and Jenny did too. (No inversion)

Robert hasn’t reached yet, neither has his companion.

Robert hasn’t reached yet; Robin hasn’t either. (No inversion)

Russel is not a footballer, and nor is Alex.

2. Negative adverbial expressions at the beginning of the sentence.

Example:

In no way should we accept their offer.

Little did they know about me.

Never has he felt so embarrassed.

Seldom do they go to a tour.

Rarely do we see gypsies.

Hardly ever do they talk to each other.

3. Beginning with only & not only.

Example:

Only if they come would I go

Only by researching can you solve this problem.

Only after lunch can you play.

Not only did they kill the adults, but they killed also the children.

4. Adverbials at the beginning of a sentence.

Example:

Hardly had I reached there, he left.

Seldom does the teacher finish his class early.

Rarely does Alex forget to do his

5. Adverbs of place (here & there) at the beginning of a sentence. This type of sentence requires the main verb (not the auxiliary verb) to come before the subject.

Example:

There is a lady standing in front of the club.

Here comes the king.

Here is your home-made cola.

There are so many people in that field.

 6. Some prepositional phrases at the beginning of a sentence.

Example:

Into the room came she when I was sleeping.

Behind me cries a child.

Over the table hangs a painting.

7.  (if) Conditionals without the conjunction

Example:

Had he been there, he could have seen it.

Were I the president, I could do the good things.

Were he my brother, I would support him to reach his dreams.

Should you go there, I will go with you.