[B-A] Inversion

LET'S READ! 📖

Direction: Read the passage below then answer the questions being asked.

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Rarely do we have time to ourselves. Our hectic schedule keeps us housebound. Both my husband and I work nine-to-five jobs, and with two young kids, there's hardly a moment to spare. Last weekend, my parents surprised me for my birthday. Walking through the front door on Friday night revealed their plans. They showed up with wine and announced they were taking the kids to the local theme park for the entire weekend. The kids were thrilled since they hadn't been there since they were four. Ground rules were set - no irritating Grandma and Grandpa and no excessive sweets before riding the roller coasters.

My parents stayed until we opened the wine, and we finally experienced some peace on the sofa. In that moment, we realized how exhausted we were. Rarely can we relax and watch a movie together with a glass of wine. We barely made it halfway through before dozing off. The following morning, we appreciated the calmness of the house. It had been ages since we had it all to ourselves, especially since our second daughter's birth. We were at a loss on how to spend the time!

QUESTIONS:

1. Why didn't the couple have much time to themselves?

2. What were the rules that they imposed on the kids?

LET'S UNDERSTAND! 📚

INVERSION

A usual sentence structure usually has a subject + verb pattern, but sometimes this word order is reversed. This is referred to as inversion.

There are two main types of inversion:

When the verb comes before the subject (inversion is often optional).


Martin stood* on the platform waiting for his name to be called* .	On the platform stood* Martin waiting for his name to be called* . On the platform, Martin stood* waiting for his name to be called.*

Martin stood on the platform waiting for his name to be called

On the platform stood Martin waiting for his name to be called

On the platform, Martin stood waiting for his name to be called.

When the auxiliary comes before the subject and the rest of the verb phrase follows the subject (inversion is usually necessary).


I had* rarely seen a kitchen so massed with mouth-watering ingredients.*.	Rarely had* I seen a kitchen so massed with mouth-watering ingredients.*

Why do we do inversion?

Inversion brings about fronting, the re-ordering of information in a sentence to give emphasis to a particular place.

🔺This often causes an element to be postponed until later in the sentence, focusing attention on it.

We also put the verb before the subject when we use adverbs expressing the direction of movement, such as along, away, back, down, in, off, out, and up with verbs such as come, fly, and go.

🔺 This pattern is found particularly in a narrative, to mark a change in events.

Example:

In came a man whose robe was tucked up in his belt and who held his sandals in his hand.

Clauses with Inversion instead of if-clauses.

We can use clauses with inversion instead of certain kinds of if-clauses.

Let's see the difference:


It would be a serious setback if the talks were to fail.	It would be a serious setback were the talks to fail.
If you should need more information about the product, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.	Should you need more information about the product, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

🔺 The sentences with inversion are rather more formal than those with 'if'.

INVERSION AFTER NEGATIVE ADVERBIALS

We use negative adverbials at the beginning of a clause.
The subject and first auxiliary are inverted, and do is used with a simple tense verb after:

The time adverbials never (before), rarely, seldom, barely, hardly, scarcely ... when / before; no sooner ... than:

Example:

Seldom do I get a calm reaction, let alone enjoyment from this exercise.

only + a time expression, as in only after, only later, only if, only once, only then, only when:

Example:

Only when the mountaineers got near to the top did they find that snow had capped the mountains.

Grammar Note 📝

📌 Some adverbials require you to complete a whole clause before the inversion takes place.

📌 It usually occurs after the adverbials only after, if, when, or not until.

Examples:

📍 Only when the famine gets worse will world governments begin to act.

LET'S PRACTICE! 📝

Part I

Direction Rewrite the sentences with a similar meaning beginning with a word/phrase from the box.

only if	barely
only with	little

Example:

1. The public was never in danger.

At no time was the public ever in danger.

The match won't be canceled unless the pitch is frozen.
He had only just entered the water when it became clear he couldn't swim.
He only felt entirely relaxed with close friends and family.
I didn't know that Macy and I would be married one day.

Part II

Direction Choose one from the questions below and talk about your experiences.

"Only when faced with adversity do we truly discover our inner strength. Can you share a personal experience that exemplifies this?"
"On no account should you underestimate the power of perseverance. Can you discuss a situation where determination played a crucial role in achieving your goals?"