NEGATIVE AND LIMITING ADVERBIALS
Sometimes you can place a negative or limiting adverbial in the front position to create emphasis.
Word order
In this type of sentence, the subject+auxiliary word order is inverted.
I have never seen anythiing quiete so breathtaking
Never have I seen anything quiete so breathtaking
The same thing happens with the verb be
It is not only one of the oldest cities on Earth, but also one of the most beautiful
Not only is it one of the oldest cities on Earth, it is also one of the most beautiful
In the present simple and past simple, use do /does or did
We rarely visit that part of town
Rarely do we visit that part of town
Negative adverbials
In formal and literary language in particular, we use negative adverbials at the beginning of a clause. The subject and verb are inverted:
This only occurs when the adverbial is at the beginning of a clause. They’re not usual in everyday spoken
Times expressions: Never, rarely, seldom
Seldom do we have goods returned to us because they are faulty, (not Seldom we do…)
These are most commonly used with present perfect , or with modals such as can and could . Sentences of this type often contain comparatives.
Times expressions : Hardly, barely, scarcely, no sooner
These refer to an event wich quickly follows another in the past. They’re usually used with past perfect , althought no sooner can be followed by past simple
Hardly had the train left the sation, when there was an explosion
Scarcely had I entered the room when the phone rang
No sooner was the team back on the pitch than it started rainning
These include under no circunstances, no account , at no time, in no way , on no condition , not until, not only
On no condition are they to open fire without a warning
Not until I got home did I notice that I forgot my keys inside the car
Not a+noun
Not a word did she say to me
Not until +verb phrase
Not until I come back home did I realise how lucky I’d been
Not until +noun phrase
Not until the end did I realise how lucky I’d been
Under no circumstances
Under no circumstances are you to leave before you finish to pay all your debts
On no account
On no account can they claim to the best
Never
Never had I seen such a lovely doll
No sooner… than
No sooner had I arrived that the doorbell rang
Limiting adverbials
Only +by+ing
Only by bribing the police officer was he able to get away
Only +conjuction+verb phrase
Only if he promised to help would she tell him where he had left his keys.
Only when I took the test did I realise how little I knew
After only : Here only combines with other time expressions and is usually used in the past simple
Only after posting the letter did I remember that I had forgotten to put an stamp
Other examples are only if /when, only then, only later
When only refers to “the state of being the only one” there is not inversion following it
Only he realised that the window was opened
after only + a time expression, as in only after, only later, only once, only then, only when:
She bought a newspaper and some sweets at the shop on the corner. Only later did she realise that she’d been given the wrong change.
Only once did / go to the opera in the whole time I was in Italy.
after only + other prepositional phrases beginning only by…, only in…, only with…, etc.:
Mary had to work at evenings and weekends. Only in this way was she able to finish all and win more money to go and live abroad.
Little
Little also has a negative or restrictive meaning
Litle does the goverment appreciate what the results will be
Little did they know that we were following them
Little did / then realise the day would come when Michael would be famous.
Little do they know how lucky they are to live in such a wonderful house.
Rarely /seldom
Rarely had I had so much responsability
Seldom has the team given a worse performance
Barely/hardly/scarcely… when
Barely had I arrived when the doorbell rang
Inversion after so/such with that
This occurs with so and adjectives when the main verb is be. It is used for emphasis and is more common than the example with such :
So devasting were the floods that some areas may never recover
Such used with be means so much/ so great
Such was the force of the storm that trees were uprooted
As in the examples with such , inversion only occurs if so /such is the first word in the clause
Her business was so successful that Marie was able to retire at the age of 50. or So successful was her business, that Marie was able to retire at the age of 50.
We can use so + adjective at the beginning of a clause to give special emphasis to the adjective.When we do this, the subject and verb are inverted.
We can use such + be at the beginning of a clause to emphasise the extent or degree of something. The subject and verb are inverted.
Such is the popularity of the play that the theatre is likely to be full every night, or
The play is so popular that the theatre is likely to be full every night.
We invert the subject and verb after neither and nor when these words begin a clause:
For some time after the surgery Elisabeth couldn’t walk so well, and neither could she eat all kind of food
The council never wanted the new supermarket to be built, nor did local residents
Inversion after adverbial phrases of direction and place
When we put an adverbial phrase, especially of direction or place, at the beginning of a sentence, we sometimes put an intransitive verb in front of its subject. This kind of inversion is found particularly in formal or literary styles:
With the verb be we always use inversion in sentences like this, and inversion is usual with certain verbs of place and movement, such as climb, come, fly, go, hang, lie, run, sit, stand:
In an armchair sat his mother, (rather than …his mother sat.)
Inversion doesn’t usually occur with other verbs. We don’t invert subject and verb when the subject is a pronoun. So, for example, we don’t say ‘In an armchair sat she.’
In speech, inversion often occurs after here and there, and adverbs such as back, down, in, off,up, round, etc.:
Here comes Sandra’s car.
Inverted conditonal sentences without if
Three typs of if-sentences can be inverted without if-. This makes the sentences more formal and makes the event less likely.
If they police had found out , I would have been in trouble
were the police to have found out , I would have been in trouble
If you should hear anything , let me know
Should you hear anything , let me know
If I had known, I would have protest strongly
Had I known , I would have protest strongly
Inversion after as:
This is more common in formal or written language
We were short of money as were most people in our neighborhood
Inversion in comparisons with ‘as’ and ‘than’
The coffee was excellent, as was the hot chocolate, (or …as the chocolate was.)
I believed, as did my colleagues, that the plan would work, (or …as my colleagues did…)
We prefer to use inversion after as and than in formal written language.
Notice that we don’t invert subject and verb when the subject is a pronoun
Inversion after so, neither and nor:
Inversion after ‘so + adjective… that’; ‘such + be…that’; ‘neither…/nor…’
These are used in statements agreeing or disagreeing
I’m going home: So am I
I don’t like meat. Neither do I
Compare these pairs of sentences:
Her business was so successful that Marie was able to retire at the age of 50. or So successful was her business, that Marie was able to retire at the age of 50.
We can use so + adjective at the beginning of a clause to give special emphasis to the adjective.When we do this, the subject and verb are inverted.
We can use such + be at the beginning of a clause to emphasise the extent or degree of something. The subject and verb are inverted.
Such is the popularity of the play that the theatre is likely to be full every night, or
• The play is so popular that the theatre is likely to be full every night.
We invert the subject and verb after neither and nor when these words begin a clause:
• For some time after the explosion Jack couldn’t hear, and neither could he see.
• The council never wanted the new supermarket to be built, nor did local residents
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