Inversion - Practice

The term INVERSION covers two different grammatical operations: a. using a question form of the main verb Not only did he fail to report the accident, but also later denied that he had been driving the car. Never have I enjoyed myself more! b. Changing the normal position of verb and subject Here comes Freddy. Up into the air went the balloon.

a. using a question form of the main verb

- If a negative adverb (or adverbial phrase) is put at the beginning of a clause for EMPHASIS, it is usually followed by auxiliary verb + subject.  

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.

The same structure is possible after a complete clause beginning with not until…

Not until he received the letter did he fully understand the depth of her feelings.

- Inversion is also used after restrictive words like: hardly, seldom, rarely, little and never and after expressions containing only.

Hardly had I arrived when trouble started.

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. (W. Churchill)

Only then did I understand what she meant.

Only after her death was I able to appreciate her.

Only seven minutes does Captain Moore need to show us the amount of plastic that is flooding the ocean.

Not only did we lose our money, but we were nearly killed.

- Inversion is not used after non-emphatic adverbial expressions of place and time.

Not far from here you can see the foxes.

b. Changing the normal position of verb and subject

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.

There goes your brother.

I stopped a car and up walked a policeman.

Practice

Choose the most suitable words underlined.

1. John promised that he would never / never would he tell anyone else.
2. Not until it was too late I remembered / did I remember to call Richard.
3. Hardly had we settled down in our seats than / when the lights went out.
4. Only after checking three times I was / was I certain of the answer.
5. At no time I was aware /was I aware of anything out of the usual.
6. Only Mary and Carol passed / did pass the final exam.
7. So the waves were high / high were the waves that swimming was dangerous.
8. No sooner had it stopped raining than / when the sun came out.

Rewrite each sentence so that it contains the word or words in capitals, and so that the meaning stays the same.

1. The money is not to be paid under any circumstances.

NO

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. Hardly had the ship left port, when a violent storm developed.

SOON AFTER

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. The accused never expressed regret for what he had done.

AT NO TIME

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. As soon as I got into the bath, someone knocked at the door.

NO SOONER

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. You won’t be allowed in until your identity has been checked.

ONLY

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Explanation & examples: Expressing emphasis - Inversion + constructions with it and what + intensifiers

1  Inversion (after a negative adverbial phrase)

        

In formal English, and in written language in particular, we use negative adverbials at the beginning of the sentence to make it more emphatic or dramatic.

The word order is inverted: the negative adverbial is placed first, an auxiliary verb follows it and the subject of the sentence comes next.

The inversion can take place after a clause that begins with

Not until

Only after/if/when

Never (before), rarely, seldom;

Barely/hardly/scarcely...when/before;

No sooner....than

Under/In no circumstances, In no way...

Not a (noun), not only.... but also, not until...

Little (with a negative meaning)

Look at the following examples:

• Never have I encountered such rudeness! (extract from a letter of complaint about the service in a restaurant)
• Not only is Amanda Swift a gifted musician, but she is also good-natured and responsible. (extract from a covering letter)
• No sooner had he locked the door than the phone started ringing.
• Only when the last person had left did she sit down and try to relax.
• Under no circumstances can you inform the staff about the imminent changes.
• Not a sound could be heard in the church.
• Little does Michael suspect that his daughter has been failing all her subjects at school!

2  Use of auxiliary verbs

        

We often insert an auxiliary verb into the positive form for emphasis.

• Your mother does cook good food.
• Sue is on a diet, but she does eat chocolate from time to time.
• I did want to tell you, but I didn't know how.
• He did arrive late.

3 Emphatic constructions with it and what

        

The most common word order for a sentence in English is:

        

subject + verb   + object +  complement (adverbial phrase)

 I             like        your cat         most of all.

    

However, if we want to emphasise that we like something (more than anything else), we can use a cleft sentence that begins with a what-clause + verb be.

• What I like (most) about this job is the perks.

Similarly, if we want to emphasise a particular person (more than anyone else), we use a cleft sentence with it + be + who.

• It was Bill Gates who co-founded Microsoft in 1975.

4  Intensifiers

a  So, really, absolutely, completely

   

We use these words with positive and negative adjectives.

• It’s so/really exciting.
• His new film is absolutely/completely amazing.

Absolutely and completely are usually only used with extreme adjectives, e.g. fantastic, awful) which already describe an extreme quality.

• The day was completely perfect. (not completely good)
• The presentation was absolutely horrific. (not absolutely bad)

b  far - much

Far is used for emphasis with too + adjective, and in comparatives.

• Mary’s far too intelligent for her job.
• There are far more books in the library than there used to be.
• She’s far clumsier than I am.
• The test was much easier than we expected

Practise using 'other', 'others', 'another', 'the other', 'the others', etc.

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/anothertheother.html

http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/art-1.html

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/90.html

Revision Questions Module 4 Inventions

1. In your opinion, what inventions have changed the way we live?
2. Who invented the airplane?
3. What did Guglielmo Marconi invent?
4. How did the printing press change the world?
5. What do you know about Thomas Edison?
6. Would you like to be an engineer? What do engineers do?
7. Why were patents created?
8. What can be patented?
9. Describe the patenting process of an invention.
10. What is a business plan and when should it be presented?
11. How long do exclusive rights to make money on an invention last?
12. What is a prototype?
13. Do inventors get paid during the long process of building a new invention?
14. Can a product be marketed without a patent?
15. What is a trampoline?
16. Why were sponge building blocks invented?
17. What are earmuffs? Why did the inventor come up with this idea?
18. What is a science fair?
19. What did Louis Braille invent?
20. What can you say about an invention called ReWalk to help people walk?
21. What is PillCam? How is it used?
22. What do patent agents do?

Choose one of the gadgets in the picture and write a description.

Here's a model and some instructions. 

The electric pasta fork

I love new gadgets and I also love eating pasta. So, when I saw the electric spaghetti fork, I knew I had to get it. Although it seemed a little expensive at $20, I decided to order it online.

According to the product description, it is a motorized fork that winds up pasta automatically. All you have to do is switch it on, push it into your bowl of pasta and watch it do all the work. It is made of plastic, comes in a variety of bright colors and it is dishwasher-safe.

When the package arrived, I prepared my favorite spaghetti dish and sat down to eat. I enjoyed watching it in action! However, I found that it was very inconvenient to use because I had to switch it off every time I took a mouthful. What’s more, it made a very unpleasant noise. In fact, it was as noisy as a dentist’s drill!

Needless to say, the spaghetti fork was unsuccessful. I haven’t used it again since that day.

Writing about a New Gadget



Introduction • explain how you got the gadget. How did you hear about it? Who bought it? Where was it bought?

Paragraph 2 • describe the gadget. What does it do? How does it work?

Paragraph 3 • describe the pros and cons of the gadget. What are its advantages and what do you like about it? What are its disadvantages and what do you dislike about it?

Conclusion • Sum up your feelings about the gadget. Would you recommend it? Why or why not?

The electric pasta fork

Introduction

• explain how you got the gadget.

How did you hear about it? Who bought it? Where was it bought?

I love new gadgets and I also love eating pasta. So, when I saw the electric spaghetti fork, I knew I had to get it. Although it seemed a little expensive at $20, I decided to order it online.

Paragraph 2

• describe the gadget.

What does it do? How does it work?

According to the product description, it is a motorized fork that winds up pasta automatically. All you have to do is switch it on, push it into your bowl of pasta and watch it do all the work. It is made of plastic, comes in a variety of bright colors and it is dishwasher-safe.

Paragraph 3

• describe the pros and cons of the gadget.

What are its advantages and what do you like about it? What are its disadvantages and what do you dislike about it?

When the package arrived, I prepared my favorite spaghetti dish and sat down to eat. I enjoyed watching it in action! However, I found that it was very inconvenient to use because I had to switch it off every time I took a mouthful. What’s more, it made a very unpleasant noise. In fact, it was as noisy as a dentist’s drill!

Conclusion

• Sum up your feelings about the gadget.

Would you recommend it? Why or why not?

Needless to say, the spaghetti fork was unsuccessful. I haven’t used it again since that day.

Group for practice speaking English

Hi partners,

I have thought that it will be a good idea to do a group for speaking English online.
We could use online Tools like Hangouts (from Google) or Skype (from Microsoft).
If cannot make a group, it could be a place for contact and speaking English in pairs.

If there are any interested, please contact me in class or by e-mail and we organised us.

Regards
Jesús