World order. Inversion

World order. Inversion

Word Order in English Declarative Sentences

Subject+ predicate+ object+ An Adverbal modifier

Grammatical inversion is obligatory in interrogative sentences, in which the auxiliary or the modal verb should be placed before the subject.

Ex: Is that all right? Will that do? Do you like it?

Has he phoned? Can you help us? Must we do it?

Emphatic inversion helps to make our speech more expressive. It is possible:

1. if the sentence opens with some emotional adverbial modifier, placed at the head of the sentence like: not for the world, not for love or money, not for the life of me, not for anything, in vain, so, vainly, little, never (again), at no time, on no account, under no circumstances, not until, in no way, (how) little, nowhere. Such words and phrases have either negative or restrictive meaning and the inversion is partial.

But: if the predicate is a simple verbal one, the auxiliary “do” in the required form should be used.

2. if there are constructions like: hardly … when, scarcely... when, no sooner… than, in the principal clause of a complex sentence with a subordinate clause of time. The inversion is partial.

3. if a long adverbial phrase is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

4. if the adverbs here and there, now and then, such are at the beginning of the sentence and are followed by a noun (full inversion).

But: if the subject is a pronoun, the inversion is partial.

5. if such adverbs of place as away, up, down, in, out, off… are stressed.

6. if an auxiliary or a modal verb is repeated to apply the preceding statement to a new subject.

But: there is no inversion if the statement refers to the same subject.

7. Inversion is regular in subordinate clauses of condition, the conjunction “if” is omitted, and the chance to fulfil the action is very small (problematic) or is entirely lost.

8. Cleft Sentences. Расщепленные

-it-clefts and -wh-clefts

Both types of clefts are used to bring particular elements into focus.