Inverted Subjects and Verbs

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Inverted subjects and verbs: What are they?
• Invert means to change the position of two things.

J J

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Inverted subjects and verbs: What are they?
There are several cases when we invert the subject
and verb of a sentence. That is, the subject and
verb (or subject and helping verb) change
places. This happens…
• When we make a question
• When the sentence starts with a place
expression (sometimes)
• When the sentence begins with certain negative
expressions
• When we use a conditional without the word if

Let’s look at each of these cases. 3

 Inverted subjects and verbs: Questions
• In many questions, the subject and verb are inverted:

Sacramento is the capital of California. (with the verb “be”)

S V

Is Sacramento the capital of California?

V S

Why is Sacramento the capital of California?

V S

The students all passed the test. (with another verb—not “be”)
S V

Did the students all pass the test?

V S V

When did the students pass the test?

V S V 4
 Inverted subjects and verbs: Questions
The important thing to remember right now is that question words
like who, what, which, and where, can also be used in other
kinds of sentences that are not questions.
• Question: Who are you?
• Noun clause: I don’t know [who you are].
• Adjective clause: The man [who is here] has a beard.
The questions have question word order.
The other kinds of clauses don’t have question word order. Their
word order is like the order in a normal statement: SVO. In other
words, these words (who,what,which,where,etc) can join two
clauses, in this case the subject and verb that follow are not
inverted.
• I dont know what the homework is.
• When i can leave, i will take the first train.
• Do you know where you are going? 5
Inverted subjects and verbs: Place expressions
When a sentence starts with a word or phrase that tells where, we
sometimes invert the subject and verb.
We often do this in sentences that start with the words there,
here, and nowhere. (There, here, and nowhere are not the
subjects of these sentences.)
There is a big spider on your shoulder. (Spider = subject)
Look! There are two Starbucks only a block apart.
(Starbucks = subject)
Here are the books that I borrowed. (Books = subject)
Here in my hand is a shiny, new dime. (Dime = subject)
Nowhere will you find a perfect place to live. (You = subject)
Nowhere else have I seen such beautiful flowers. (I = subject)
In the closet are the clothes that you want. (The clothes = S)
Around the corner is Sam’s house. (Sam’s House = S)
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Inverted subjects and verbs: Place expressions
We can’t always invert the subject and verb in sentences that start
with a prepositional phrase telling where—only if the phrase is
necessary to make a complete idea. This usually happens in
sentences saying simply that something exists or telling where it is.
On the desk was an antique telephone. (Subject = telephone)
In every classroom are a map and a globe.
(Subject = a map and a globe)

We don’t invert the subject and verb when the verb is telling what
happened, and the preposition phrase just gives more information
about where it happened.
On the desk, the mayor had placed a photograph of his family.
In every classroom, you will find a map and a globe.

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Inverted subjects and verbs: Negatives
When a sentence begins with certain negative and almost-
negative expressions, we invert the subject and verb.
Never had she seen such noisy children. (Subject = she)
Only once will we make this offer. (Subject = we)
Seldom was he as happy as at that moment. (Subject =
he)

When these words come later in the sentence, we use normal

word order.
She had never seen such noisy children.
We will make this offer only once.
He was seldom as happy as at that moment.

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Inverted subjects and verbs: Negatives
These negative and almost-negative words at the beginning of a
sentence cause the subject and verb to change positions:
no neither hardly rarely
not nor only scarcely
Never barely seldom

Sometimes these words are part of a phrase with other words:

Not only was he late, but he didn’t even apologize.
Only occasionally does she go to the movies.
At no time should you talk to strangers.
Scarcely had I stepped out when the telephone rang.
Hardly had I reached the station when the train departed.
No sooner had she read the telegram than she started crying.
Never have I seen such a mess.
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Inverted subjects and verbs: Conditionals
Conditional sentences usually use the word if:

1. Real or possible conditions (Present/future time: It might

be true):
I’ll pick you up [if you want me to].
[If it rains], we’ll cancel our picnic.
[If you should need help], please let me know.

2. Unreal or impossible conditions (Present time: It isn’t true.)

[If I were rich], I would buy a new car.
We would help you [if we could].

3. Unreal or impossible conditions (Past time: It wasn’t true.)

[If he had studied harder], he would have passed the test.
The meeting would have ended sooner [if the chairman
hadn’t talked so long].

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Inverted subjects and verbs: Conditionals
However, we can sometimes make conditionals in another way. If the
conditional clause has the helping verbs had, were, or should (but not
others), we can omit if and invert the subject and verb:

[If you should need help], please let me know.

 [Should you need help], please let me know.

[If I were rich], I would buy a new car.

 [Were I rich], I would buy a new car.

[If he had studied harder], he would have passed the test.

[Had he studied harder], he would have passed the test.

The meeting would have ended sooner [if the chairman hadn’t
talked so long].
 The meeting would have ended sooner [had the chairman not
talked so long]. (Don’t say: …hadn’t the chairman talked so long)

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Inverted subjects and verbs: Conditionals
In conditionals that don’t have the helping verbs had, were, or
should, we can’t omit if and invert the subject and verb.

I’ll pick you up [if you want me to]. (Don’t change!)

[If it rains], we’ll cancel our picnic. (Don’t change!)
We would help you [if we could]. (Don’t change!)

We don’t use the “conditional without if” very often in everyday

speech. It sounds very formal and old-fashioned. However, we
find it in formal writing and on the TOEFL test.

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Summary
In this section, you have learned about these things:
We can invert the subject and verb:
• When we make a question
• When the sentence starts with a place expression
(sometimes)
• When the sentence begins with certain negative
words
• When we use a conditional without the word “if”

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Rewrite the following sentences, putting
the adverb first and inverting the subject
and verb.
1.I have seldom heard such a beautiful
voice.
2.He had hardly sat down for dinner
when someone knocked at the door.
3.I have never heard such utter
nonsense.
4.They not only looted the shop, but also
set fire to it.

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1. Seldom have I heard such a beautiful
voice.
2. Hardly had he sat down for dinner
when someone knocked at the door.
3. Never have I heard such utter
nonsense.
4. Not only did they loot the shop, but
also set fire to it.

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