This document discusses various uses of inversion in formal English grammar. It provides examples of inversion occurring after negative adverbials like never, not until, nowhere else, and under no circumstances for emphasis. Inversion also occurs with auxiliaries like do or did after adverbials involving time or extent like not until, not only, at no time, in no way, and little. Additional contexts for inversion include after adverbial clauses, with expressions like so and such, in conditional sentences, and after expressions of place or direction in literary style.

1. ADVANCED GRAMMAR, C LEVEL

2.  Inversion is often done after the following
negative adverbials:
NEVER (BEFORE), NOT UNTIL, NOT ONLY, NO
SOONER…THAN, AT NO TIME, IN NO WAY,
NOWHERE (ELSE), ON NO ACCOUNT, LITTLE,
RARELY, SELDOM, UNDER/IN NO
CIRCUMSTANCES
Normal: I will not take a course with that
teacher under any circumstances
Dramatic inversion: Under no circumstances
will I take a course with that teacher.

3.  Inversion of verb and subject is done for
emphasis in FORMAL English after:
 Never would I have imagined how difficult the
examen would be.
 No sooner had he opened the door, than he
heard a strange noise.
 Nowhere else in this city will you find such a
good language school
 On no account should you copy your review
from the Internet
 Rarely have I read such a stupid book before.

4.  We must use the auxiliaries (do or did):
 Not until I saw the exam, did I realize that I
would fail.
 Not only do I study English every day but I
also watch films in English.
 At no time did he feel bored in class.
 In no way does getting a 5 in the exam
mean that you’ve passed the course.
 Little did we know at that time about how
difficult the English exam would be.

5.  ONLY THEN:
Only then did he understand he loved him.
 HARDLY…………..WHEN/THAN:
Hardly had I opened the door when/than
the phone rang.

6.  It takes place after a whole adverbial clause
(sometimes long) with:
 NOT UNTIL/NOTBEFORE: Not until you
start studying seriously, will you really
learn.
 ONLY WHEN (ONLY AFTER, AS ,ONCE,
WHILE):
Only when you start studying a foreign
language, do you realize how difficult it is

7.  SO and SUCH:
 So stupid is the English teacher that the
students know a lot more than him.
 Such is the reputation of the language
school that everybody wants to study there.

8.  In the first conditional:
Ex.: Should you have any further questions, do
not hesitate to contact me=If you have any
further questions…...
 In the second conditional:
were+Subject+infinitive with –to:
Ex: Were we to pass the exam, we would have a
C2 certificate= If we passed the exam……
 In the third conditional:
Ex.: Had I known you were in hospital, I would
have visited you= If I had known you were in
hospital, I would have visited you.

9.  After expressions indicating place and
direction in literary style: inversion
verb+subject: NO AUXILIARIES used.
Ex.: In front of the door stood the
teacher.
 In colloquial speech:
Ex.: Here comes the bus