This document provides examples of different types of inversion structures in English including immediacy, frequency, sequence, orders/instructions, and other. It gives the context for when each type of inversion is normally used, such as emphasizing how quickly one event followed another for immediacy, or emphasizing importance of an order for orders/instructions. Examples are given for each type of inversion with explanations of their meaning and tense usage.

1. Inversion Guide - Negative adverbial (+ clause for some adverbials) + auxiliary verb/to be + subject
Immediacy
When emphasising how
quickly one event was
followed by another event.
Normally uses the past
perfect.
Note the use of than instead
of when with no sooner.
Frequency
When emphasising how
rarely an event occurs.
Normally uses the present
perfect or the present
simple.
Sequence
When emphasising how one
event happened after another
one (but not how quickly this
happened – see Immediacy).
Sometimes the first event in the
sequence will be one tense
further into the past than the
second event.
Orders/Instructions
When emphasising importance of
the order or instruction. Normally
uses modals of advice or
suggestion (should/must/can) but
never negative forms (must not,
cannot) – the negative element is
expressed by the negative
adverbial.
Other
Scarcely had Tom put the
phone down when it rang
again.
Never (before) have my
family encountered such
friendly hotel staff.
Everyone laughed at Ian’s joke.
Only later did Jim realise that
the joke was at his expense.
Only in an emergency should you
call the fire service.
Not only is this brand of
cereal cheaper, but it is
also much tastier.
(positive addition –
emphasising the second
element in the list)
Hardly had Janet started
speaking when her boss
interrupted her.
At no time have any zoo
animals managed to escape
from our facility.
The chef tasted the soup and it
was lacking flavour. Only then
did he realise he had forgotten
to add salt.
On no account will members of
the public be allowed to use the
bathrooms without first making a
purchase.
Barely had we gone outside
when the rain started to fall.
Rarely do true friends fall
out over trivial matters.
Only when my colleague
finishes his reports will we go
and celebrate his birthday.
Under no circumstances can
visitors take photographs of the
museum exhibits.
Little did Joe realise that
the woman he met that
day would become his
wife. (lack of
awareness; normally
with verbs like realise,
understand, know)
No sooner had my father
arrived home than his boss
asked him to return to the
office.
Seldom is language learning
an easy task.
Only after going to the
shareholders’ meeting did the
investors understand how
serious the situation was.
In no way must the behaviour of
any employee fail to meet our
company’s standards.
Not until she had completed
the essay did my sister realise
that she had answered the
wrong question.
At no time can students leave the
room during this test.
In no way have my
colleagues acted
illegally. (denial of an
accusation/statement)