inversion and fronting

inversion !
This involves using question word order after an adverbial wit h a negative or restrictive meaning comes at the beginning of the sentence. These structures are normally only used in formai speech and writing. Note that all of these adverbials can be used without inversion if they come in the normai position. never I have never seen a more obvious case of cheating! (normai Never have I seen a more obvious case of cheating! rarely Rarely does such seldom Seldom has position)

a rare

painting

come on the market.

a scientific

discovery

had such an impact.

No sooner ... than No sooner had I shut the door than I realized I had left my keys inside.

Hardly ... when Hardly had the play started Scarcely ... when (than) Scarcely had they entered Onlyafter, only when, Only Jane managed to Only in a city as large On/y after we had /eft

when there was a disturbance in the audience.

the cast/e when there was a huge explosion.

only later, only then, only finish the project on time. (no inversion) as this can you find sa many foreign resta uran ts. the ship did we realize that the captain had remained.

On no condition, under no circumstances, on no account, at no time, in no way Under no circumstances is this door to be left unlocked. Not until Not until he stopped to rest did Jack realize that he had been wounded. Not until the building had been made safe co u/d anyone go back inside.

Not only ... but also Not only did he Jose alI the money, but he a/so found himself in debt. Little Little did anyone suspect what was about to happen.

c:::J

Oc::=>

No sooner had

I shut the door than I realized I had lef/; my keys inside.

fronting
This involves putting first a clause not normally at the beginning of the sentence. It mayaiso involve putting the verb in an inverted position. Relative clausescan be placed first when they normally follow negative verbs of understanding, knowing, etc. This is normally a spoken form.
I have no idea who he iso Who he is, I have no idea. I really don 't know what you mean. What you mean, I really don 't know

Here, there, back, out, up, down, on, oft etc can begin a sentence or a clause, foliowed by averb. This is usually come or go. The sentence is often an exclamation. A messenger came back with the answer. Back came a messenger with the answer. Here comes the rain! Out went the lights! Down went the ship to the bottom of the sea. As we were walking home, down came the rain, and we had to run for it.

In the same way, an adverbia I phrase can begin a sentence or a c1ause,folIowed by a verb. This kind of sentence is common in literary writing.
A group of armed men came along the street. Along the street came a group of armed men. While we were waiting to see what would happen next along the street came a group of armed men, waving their guns in the air and shouting. Up the hill went the bus, creaking and groaning. Through the window jumped a masked man.

conditional sentences
as, though with may, might It may sound unlikely, but it's true. Un/ikely as it may sound, it's true The car may be cheap, but it's in terrible condition. Cheap though the car may be, it's in terrible condition. tryas (someone) might

This construction is used to mean that although someone tried hard, they couldn't succeed in what they were trying to do.
She tried hard, but couldn't move the wardrobe. Try as she might, she couldn't move the wardrobe. Try as he might, he couldn 't pass his driving test. were, ha d, should conditional sentences

These are highly forma!, and omit if, putting the auxiliary at the beginning of the sentence.
If the government were to resign, the situation might be resolved. Were the government to resign, the situation might be resolved. If proper measures had been taken, this situation would not have occurred. Had proper measures been taken, this situation would not have occurred. If an outbreak of fiu should take place, special measures will be introduced.. Should an outbreak of fIu take place, special measures will be introduced.

! ! ! !

Underline the best word ar phrase.

a Not only / Rarely do you see top-rate cameras which are also easy to use. b Should / Were the strike go ahead, it could severely damage the company. c Never I have seen / Never have I seen su ch a dramatic end to a football match. d What he is talking about / What is he talking about, I have no idea. e Gnly the two members of the French team managed / did they manage to finish the race. t As it may seem strange /Strange as it may seem, he is actually one of the richest men in the world! g Hardly had the train pulled out of the station when / than there was a loud screeching sound. h Suddenly, ran into the room / into the room ran a huge dog. Had we known / Had we to have known in advance, we could have done something about it. j Not until the wreckage had been examined could / was terrorism be ruled out. k Hardly / Little did I know that it would be another three years before I saw her again. I Should / Were the alarm to ring, leave the building immediately.

Choose the best option, A, B ar C, to complete the sentence.

c::

how serious the situation was.

b Just as the players took their place s on the court, .. c my bag I really can't remember. d , everyone would probably have escaped from the building. e At no time on the pIane in any danger. t second thoughts, don't hesitate to phone me. g Strange , I actually enjoy working underground. the train but aIso lost her luggage. , we might consider making another offer. j Without warning, onto the stage brandishing a knife. k Suddenly the sky went dark, and the rain.
h Jane

is this piece of equipment to be removed from the building.

B B B B B B B

a A Little anyone did realize

b A did the rain pour down
c A Where I've left

Little realized anyone down poured the rain. Where have I left Had not been locked the fire door the passengers were Should you have sound though it is

C C

Little did anyone realize did pour down the rain

C Where left I C Had the fire door not been locked C were they the passengers C Should you had
C C C C C C

d A Had it not been locked the fire door

A were the passengers A Should have you

t
h

g A as does it sound
A not only did she miss A Were it the situation to change

as it may sound not only did miss Were the situation to change did a man jump down came Rarely

B not only missed B Were a change in the situation B jumped a man

B B

j
k

A did jump a man A there down came

came down Hardly

A On no account

Write a new sentence with the same meaning, containing the word in capitals.

a If we took no action, the situation would only become worse.

/A,le.re.,we., ...lo.lekecl'\.o?lc,liQl'1.,lhe.,Hsil?leliol'1.wouIJQl'1.I'1Qe.,c.ol'1,l.e.,woCSe., ,

WERE DOES NO DID MIGHT HAD WERE SHOULD DID

b A member of the government rareIy admits to making a serious mistake. c You are not to Ieave this IDom under any circumstances. d The police only Iater reveaIed the true identity of the thief. e AIthough Andrew tried hard, he couldn't pass his driving test.

f If you'd consulted me at the outset, I could have given you the right advice.
g If you offered me a high er salary, I would take the job. h If the weather worsens, the match will probabIy be cancelled. It was only after checking the accounts that they realized money was missing. The breach of security has not affected the examination results in any way.

NO

Complete the text using one word in each gap.

Last yeat; we visited Brazil and saw the carnival in Rio. Strange as it may aS~~t:'A. H ' we just hadn't thought of visiting believe how fantastic Brazil

before, and we couldn't

it was. Rio is a great

city, and it's sometimes hard to believe it's real! We really enjoyed the carnival. We had booked some events before we arrived, and b.. ... did we realize how lucky we were to have tickets for had we taken our seats, than . the stage came groups of dancers,

the Samba show. No c the show began. d ..

one after the othet; for hours! That was exhausting but there was more to come. N ot e ..H we stood and watched the carnival

parade did we realize how many people were taking part! Along the street

f ..

.HH dancers and musicians, and everyone anyone told me

clapped and cheered. g

I would

end

up dancing in the street ali night, I wouldn't

have believed them! in a

There were such amazing costumes and floats. h .. ..H

city as diverse as this, could you see 50 many unusual sights. Never HHHHHHHHH I have imagined what an amazing sight it would be. Only k
j .. .

we finally got home and looked at ali our photos HHwe realize how incredible our holiday in Brazil had

been.I.HHHH

anyone should want to go any where else for a

holiday, I really don't know!

Complete the sentence sa that it means the same as the first sentence. a Twa! armed policeman ran in to the room. In tolJ1,e, .. rQQf)Ana~lwQ.a~~dpQIic,e,f)Ae,l'l. b You can only really enjoy the view on a elear day like today. Oniy .. c If the ship collided with an iceberg, the passengers would be in no danger. Should .. d The case may be unusual, but such cases are not completely unheard of. Unusual .. e Suddenly it started raining. Suddenly down .. f A govemment has rarely acted with such blat ant dishonesty. Rarely .. g If you asked me again, I would give you the same answer as before. Were .. h I have no idea what the matter iso What .. If we had realized that the hurricane would hit the city, we would have evacuated the residents in advance. Had .. Nobody had any suspicion that the police inspector was the murderer. Little .. k The theft was only discovered when the accounts were checked. Oniy .. Paula had no sooner shut the door than she realized she had left her key inside. No saoner ..

Put one suitable word in each space. a Rarely .. clq we find students who are willing to think for themselves. b in the polar regions does the temperature fall to such a low level. eLittle .. anyone suppose that Mrs Robertson was an enemy agent. d Scarcely.. . everyone left the building when there was a huge explosion. e Seldom.. . so many people voted for such an unlikely candidate. f Not until doctors examined Brian later ...... ..anyone realize that he had been shot. g No sooner had we reached the bottom of the mountain .... heavily. h ... no circumstances are bags to be taken into the libr ary. Oniy.... wrong ticket. it starte d snowing

the airline official checked again did she realize I had been given the

Not only did Harrison break into the house, .. he aIso attacked one of the occupants. k Never there be en a better time to buy a new car. I Not oniy she finish the test before the others in the elass, but she also got the best marko

Choose the best option,

A, B or C, for each gap.

Odysseus and the Sirens

Before the ship came to the island of the Sirens, Odysseus ordered his men to plug their ears with wax and tie him to the mast. 'Under no circumstances a happens; he told them. b' this was d
very
J3HH

cut me free, whatever

CH

we are elear of the island must I be set free:

he did

simple. The Sirens lured sailors to their deaths by their beautiful singing. Soon e

all the sailors to hear their songs, they would lose their will to continue on their
survive.
.H'

journey. Odysseus wanted to hear the beautiful singing, but he wanted to their arms to the ship, and singing. No sooner f longing. g the shore. h not been tied to the mast, he would crew pulling at the oars. j

appeared the island of the Sirens. The women were sitting on a bank of flowers, holding out them, than Odysseus became mad with
have

leapt into the water and swum to

he might, he couldn't persuade his men to untie him. Past the island the singing of the Sirens had died away, and the

, the

island had passed out of sight, did Odysseus regain his proper senses. His men untied him, and they continued on their
voyage.

a Ayou will
b A Only after A Little d A Were
C

e
f

A than he had expected A he heard A A A A

9
h

Was he Try as did they went Not until

are you to B Not only B T7yas Blf B had it B had he heard B Did he
B B

C do you
C C

Never

CWhy Should C out of the mist C was he hearing them CHad he

C

Blf went the ship Bln no way

Only after

C go Odysseus and his men C No sooner than

!
A

. '.
Write some examples Were my country...

EXTENSION
beginning:

ACTIVITY

Should global warming ...

Had I known ...

ind d sa y jApart

e for f ie g say k as I sheer

r Many animals, such as bears, sleep for much of the winter. s No artefact which is alien, that is to say not from our planet, has ever been discovered. Ex 7 aC kA bA cC lA mC dC eB

d literally e utterly simply j utterly

f sheer

f B gA

hB

iC

jA

! jA ! ! ! ! ! ! neither do my friends ! c it f more sa g do ing sa h sa ! e one j hers ! ! is d ones e hers f did sa h sa i not j sa ! ! ! f B gA ! ! but I used to have one. ! ing computer games. ! worried about it. her own clothes any! more. 't been there. ! he would bring to the ! party. ng and I've cleaned the house. ! ! ate tonight?' 'I don't! suppose sa' ct the red wire, but as he did so, had made a mistake. ! ! say sa? horn e, why didn't you p shelf but couldn't ! do sa / it. and neither / nor can David. ! e the cinema, but she didn't ! ! so we believe. ed by twa people, or ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
f B gA
hB iC

! 43 ! Unit
Ex 1

"#$!

a Rarely b Should c Never have I seen d What he is talking about e managed f Strange as it may seem g when h into the room ran i Had we known j could k Little I Were

Ex 2
aC
k C

bB
lA

cA

de

eA

f B gC

hB

jC

jB

Ex 3 a Were we to take no action, the situation would only become worse. b Rarely does a member of the government admit to making a serious mistake. c Under no circumstances are you to leave this room. d Only later did the police reveal the true identity of the thief. e Try as Andrew might, he couldn't pass his driving test. f Had you consulted me at the outset, I could have given you the right advice. g Were you to offer me a high er salary, I would take the job. h Should the weather worsen, the match will probably be cancelled. Only after checking the accounts did they realize money was missing. In no way has the breach of security affected the examination results.

Ex4
a seem k did b little I Why

f came / walked

c sooner d Onto e until g Had h Only could j when

Ex 5 the room ran two armed policemen. on a elear day like today can you reaUy enjoy the view. the ship collide with an iceberg, the passengers would be in no danger. d ... though the case may be, such cases are not completely unheard of. e came ! poured the rain. f has a government acted with such blatant dishonesty. g you to ask me again, I would give you the same answer as before. h the matter is I have no idea. i we realized that the hurricane would hit the city, we would have evacuated the residents in advance. ... did anybody suspect that the police inspector was the murderer. k when the accounts were checked was the theft discovered. I had Paula shut the door than she realized she had left her key inside. Ex 6 a do b Only c did d had e have f did h Under i when j but k has I did Ex 7 a B bA cC dA eC g than a b c

REVIEW

Unit 3

a was sitting b had oc e had undergone f we h had been i looked

Unit 4

a have wondered b ha d have be en trying e h g have worked out

Unit 8

a was believed to hav b was thought to hav c '" was known to have d was reported to hav e were thought to ha the crime. f was believed to hav g was known to have afternoon of his death h ... was reported to hav damages.

f B gC

hA

iB

jA

Unit 9

Unit 44
Ex 1

a got b get c is havin g had his hair ! got his