SKKN common errors in the use of inversions

This study is conducted to find out the types of errors and causes in the use ofinversions among the students of English in grade 10 at Nguyen Viet Xuan High Schooland suggest some solut

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1

Report on research results from the initiative application 5

1 Introduction 5

2 The name of the initiative 6

3 Author’s information 6

4 Application field 6

5 The first application date 6

6 Description of the initiative 6

PART ONE INTRODUCTION I-Rational 7

II-Research presupposition 7

III-Research objectives 8

IV-Research scope 8

V-Research tasks 8

VI-Research methods 8

VII-Significance of the proposed research 9

VIII-Design of the research work 9

PART TWO DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

I.1.Literature review in brief 10

I.2.Inversion 12

I.2.1 Definition 12

I.2.2 Types 12

I.2.2.1 Full Inversion 12

I.2.2.2 Auxiliary Inversion 14

I.2.3 Structures 15

I.2.3.1 In structure VS 15

I.2.3.2 In structure AVS 16

I.2.3.3 In structure CVS 17

I.2.3.4 In structure PREDICATION + BE + SUBJECT 18

I.2.3.5 In structure OPERATOR + SUBJECT + PREDICATION 18

I.2.3.6 In structure PRO-FORM + OPERATOR + SUBJECT 19

I.2.4 Functions 19

I.2.4.1 Emphasis 19

I.2.4.2 Discourse function 21

I.2.5 Uses of inversion 22

I.2.5.1 Inversion after adverbs 22

I.2.5.1.1 After negative adverbs 22

I.2.5.1.2 After adverbs of place and direction 24

I.2.5.1.3 After adverbs of time 25

I.2.5.1.4 After adverbs of order 25

I.2.5.2 Inversion in conditional sentences 25

I.2.5.3 Inversion after adjectives 26

I.2.5.4 Inversion in comparatives 27

I.2.5.5 Inversion with so, such 27

I.2.5.6 Inversion with ing-form and ed-form 28

I.2.5.7 Inversion with story speech or reporting 28

I.2.5.8 Inversion with so, neither, nor, as 28

I.2.5.9 Inversion in questions 29

I.2.5.10 Inversion in exclamations 29

I.2.5.11 Inversion with may 30

CHAPTER TWO: COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF INVERSIONS II.1 Survey 31

II.1.1 Purpose of the survey 31

II.1.2 Population of the survey 31

II.1.3 Type of the survey 32

II.1.4 Construction of the survey 32

II.1.5 Preparation of the survey 32

II.1.5.1 Test items 32

II.1.5.2 Arrangement of the survey 33

II.1.6 Administration of the try-out 33

II.1.7 Method of data analysis 33

II.1.8 Results of the survey 34

II.2 Common errors and causes 35

II.2.1 Errors in the use of inversion after adverbs of place and direction 35

II.2.2 Errors in the use of inversion after negative adverbials 35

II.2.3 Errors in the use of inversion after here, there 36

II.2.4 Errors in the use of inversion in conditional sentences 37

II.2.5 Errors in the use of inversion after some expressions with only 37

II.2.6 Errors in the use of inversion after reporting or story speech 38

II.2.7 Errors in the use of inversion after ing-phrase and ed-phrase 38

II.2.8 Errors in the use of inversion with so, such 39

II.2.9 Errors in the use of inversion after time expressions 39

II.3 Suggested solutions and suggested exercises 40

II.3.1 Suggested solutions 40

II.3.2 Suggested exercises 41

PART THREE CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION 43

APPENDICES 45

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 45

SUGGESTED EXERCISES 49

7 Information security 51

8 The necessary conditions to apply the initiative 51

9 The benefits of applying the initiative 52

REFERRENCES 53

REPORT ON RESEARCH RESULTS FROM THE INITIATIVE APPLICATION

1 Introduction:

Language is a very important means of communication in daily human life Humanbeings use language, both written and spoken form, to express their ideas In a widerscope, language functions as a means of international communication by at least twopersons In a smaller group whose members share the same language, for instance, thereare likely no difficulties in using the language since the persons involved in the process ofcommunication are used to speaking their own native language On the other hand, if thepeople taking part in the conversation speak different languages, they must havedifficulties and obstacles in getting along with each other One of the problems causingthe difficulties is the language used Accordingly, they need a language which isunderstood by both sides, the speaker and his or her counterpart This will occur when thespeakers are from different backgrounds: nationality, race, and language In this case, aninternational language is very badly needed, especially the one that is the most widelyspoken in the world One of the languages is the English language

In Vietnam as well as in other countries, there is a greater and greater need to learnEnglish, from young to old, from male to female No one can deny the importance ofEnglish in Vietnam at present Therefore, English is being taught at every educationallevel

However, learning a language is difficult, because each language has its ownsystem which is different from that in the learner’s native language The differences in thesystem of language may bring about learning problems for foreign language learners.Hence, it is inevitable that in learning English as a foreign language Vietnamese studentsusually have problems on account of the differences between Vietnamese and the targetlanguage It is proved that English grammar is complex and often causes embarrassment

to students The inversion is one of the language categories that students at high schoolhave to learn much Due to its various uses, it is assumed that there are many errors whichmay be made In fact, many students confess that the inversion is one of the biggest

problems of English grammar and they often make errors in the use of inversions Forexample:

On the grass did an enormous frog sit

Only two days before the show tourists can buy the tickets

With regard to the errors quoted above, the problem is with grammatical structures.The correct versions could be:

On the grass sat an enormous frog

Only two days before the show can tourists buy the tickets

For the reasons above, this study is conducted, which focuses on errors in the use

of inversions among the students of English in grade 10 at Nguyen Viet Xuan HighSchool

2 The name of the initiative:

Common errors in the use of inversions

3 Author’s information:

- Full name: Nguyen Thi Lan Anh

- Address: Nguyen Viet Xuan High School

- Phone number: 0974322659 Email: lananhnguyen90@gmail.com

PART ONE INTRODUCTION

I RATIONAL

Inversion is an interesting category of English grammar It has two main typesincluding full inversion and auxiliary inversion It appears with various forms ofstructures and has function of emphasis and discourse function However, the uses ofinversion referred to in some books have not been dealt with in full and sometimes causeconfusion to learners of English

As a result, students of English often make errors when they use inversions.Therefore, this research work entails studying the uses of inversions and conductingsurvey for error analysis

As a teacher of English, I would like to make a contribution to the English teaching

in Vietnam This study is conducted to find out the types of errors and causes in the use ofinversions among the students of English in grade 10 at Nguyen Viet Xuan High Schooland suggest some solutions to the problems based on the results of the survey

II RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION

Some questions are raised:

1) What kinds of errors are made by the students of English in grade 10 at NguyenViet Xuan High School in the academic year of 2019/2020?

2) What kind of error in the use of inversions is the most often made by the grade students of English at Nguyen Viet Xuan High School in the academic year

tenth-of 2019/2020?

3) What are the causes of the errors in the use of inversions made by the students ofEnglish in grade 10 at Nguyen Viet Xuan High School in the academic year of2019/2020?

Based on the questions above, I am eager to learn about the problems and make anerror analysis in inversions so that the major errors in the use of inversions may be found

III RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The study is aimed at the following goals:

1) To find out kinds of errors made by the tenth-grade students of English at NguyenViet Xuan High School in the academic year of 2019/2020 in using inversions.2) To find out the main errors in the use of inversions most often made by thestudents of English in grade 10 at Nguyen Viet Xuan High School in the academicyear of 2019/2020

3) To find out the causes of the errors in the use of inversions made by the tenth-gradestudents of English at Nguyen Viet Xuan High School in the academic year of2019/2020

IV RESEARCH SCOPE.

The general research area of this study is grammar

The phenomenon is errors in the use of inversions made by the students of English

in grade 10 at Nguyen Viet Xuan High School in the academic year of 2019/2020 Othersrelating to the inversion are also briefly mentioned

The population involved in the study is seventy six students of English in class10A1 and 10D4 at Nguyen Viet Xuan High School

V RESEARCH TASKS

The study involves fulfilling the following tasks:

1) To study types and structures of inversions

2) To research into the functions and uses of inversions

3) To conduct a survey to find out error types and causes On the basis of the findings,possible solutions to the problems are sought to minimize the students’ errors

VI RESEACH METHODS

To achieve the objectives of the study, the following methods have been applied:1) Collecting documents from books listed in the references

2) Consulting the experienced teachers and friends

3) Synthesizing theoretical documents on English grammar

4) Conducting a survey and analyzing the results

VII SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH

Errors in any language teaching and learning, particularly in English as a foreignlanguage, are sometimes predictable and sometimes unpredictable It is, therefore,essential for teachers to have better treatment to anticipate errors After the research, it ishoped that the result will be helpful to provide:

1) Input for learners of English in order to minimize their errors in the use ofinversions

2) Input for teachers of English with information on error types and solutions to theproblems so that they can have good methods of teaching the inversion

This study is also beneficial to anyone who is interested in the inversion inEnglish

VIII DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH WORK

The research work has three main parts, namely: introduction, development, andconclusion The part “Development” consists two chapters Chapter one is entitled

“Theoretical background” It consists two sections Section one reviews literature in brief.The second one deals with things related to the inversion such as definition, types,structures, and uses of the inversions

Chapter two is named “Common errors in the use of inversions” It has threesections Section one is devoted to the survey The second deals with error types andcauses The last one is on solutions to the problems and suggested exercises on theinversions

PART TWO

CHAPTER ONE THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

I.1 LITERATURE REVIEW IN BRIEF

Inversions have been described by many grammarians like Randolph Quirk (1985),Martin Hewings (1999), Michael Swan (2005), John Eastwood (1994), Michael Vince(2003), George Yule (2006), Ron Cowan (2008) and so on They each have their own way

to describe inversion Generally, they focus their attention on the definition, structure,functions of inversion, types of inversion and their uses

Martin Hewings (1999) in the book Advanced Grammar in Use focuses his

attention on types and the uses of inversions He classifies inversion into specific kinds:

Inversions after adverbial phrase of direction and place, inversions after here, there and some adverbs, inversions in conditional sentences, inversions in comparison with as and than, , inversions after negative adverbials and inversions after so, such, neither, nor He

introduces formal and literary styles in some types of inversions and suggests the case of

a pronoun as the subject which inversion cannot be used

In the book The Teacher’s Grammar of English, Ron Cowan (2008) identifies three main types of inversions: lexical, stylistic and information packaging inversions This

division can help us understand the uses of inversions It is shown in the book that lexicalinversions are the result from the movement of the adverb to the front Adverbs in this

type are here, there, never, seldom, not only, neither, nor, so, as, and so on Stylistic

inversions are alternative to specific grammatical structures chosen for a specific effect.They are inversions in conditional sentences and inversions with initial prepositionalphrases used in poetry The last type is information packaging inversions, which distributeinformation in a sentence in a way more appreciate to the discourse context According tothem, this type of inversions are used to avoid the creation of a long subject noun phrase

or to emphasize a point related to preceding information, to shift the topic at the start of aparagraph and so on

Randolph Quirk & Sidney Greenbaum (1976) in A University Grammar of English

refer to inversion in some structures and types They just name two types of inversions:subject-verb inversion and subject-operator inversion They give the explanation for each

In some other pattern of the book, they also mention some kinds that still tend to twomentioned main types According to them, some is optional

In the book Oxford Guide to English Grammar, John Eastwood (1994) only mentions inversions with should, were, and had in conditional sentences He pays less attention to other types of inversions However, in the book Oxford Learner’s Pocket Grammar (2008), he supplements the use of inversions after negative phrases He states,

“A negative phrase with inversion can sound formal and literary.”

George Yule (2006) in the book Oxford Practice Grammar only gives inversions

after negative words and phrases He indicates that inversion is typically used in formal or

literary English, but we can also use it in informal replies after neither, nor and no way.

In the book First Certificate Language Practice, Michael Vince and Paul

Emmersion (2003) focus on the use of inversions after negative adverbs and the function

of inversions to emphasize an adverb However, Michael Vince and Peter Sunderland

(2003) in the book Advanced Language Practice add inversions after so, such with that; after as, so, neither, nor; inverted conditional without if They also give emphasis function

of inversion in some cases

Michael Swan (2005) in the book Practical English Usage puts inversion in two

types: auxiliary verb before subject and whole verb before subject The first oneconcludes several different structures of inversions: in questions; in exclamations; with

may; after so, neither, nor; after as, than and so; in conditional clauses; after negative and

restrictive expressions The second is divided into two types: Inversions after adverbialexpressions of place and inversions in reporting or direct speech The difference withother writers is that questions and story speech are considered as forms of inversion Theyalso emphasize that some types of inversions are most common in formal and literarystyle, or descriptive writing

In short, much research has been done on inversions but they do not pay attention

to point out errors in the use of inversions In fact, there are many errors that learners of

English often make when they use inversions Therefore, it is essential to have a morecomprehensive study of common errors in the use of inversions.

In the doorway stood her father

Martin Hewings (1999) in the book Advanced Grammar in Use define: “In

statements it is usual for the verb to follow the subject Sometimes, however, this wordorder is reversed We can refer to this as inversion.” For instance:

Rarely had he seen such a sunset.

Never do I go to school late.

I.2.2 Types

I 2.2.1 Full inversion

This type of inversion can be called subject-verb inversion according to somelinguists It is mainly found in clauses of types SVA and SVC where a normally post-verbal element is so tied to the verb that when that element is “marked” theme the verb is

“attracted” into presubject position (Quirk, 1976) For example:

In went the sun, and down came the rain (AVS, AVS)

Her face was stony and even stonier was the tone of her voice (SVA, AVS) Gone are the days of the “old-fashioned” entertainment (CVS)

Subject-verb inversions occur with simple present and past tense verbs, and with

certain verbs (stand, sit, lie, etc) or with very general verbs of motion (come, go, fall, etc).

At the end of the garden stood a handsome building of the newest style.

From some houses standing apart came the sound of grinding mills and the

sweet voices of women singing at their work

Michael Swan (2005) notes that when an adverbial expression of place or directioncomes at the beginning of a clause, intransitive verbs are often put before their subjects.This happens especially when a new indefinite subject is being introduced The structure

is most common in literary and descriptive writing

Under the tree was lying one of the biggest man I had ever seen.

Directly in front of them stood a great castle.

Along the road came a strange procession.

This type is often used in ordinary informal speech with here, there, and other

short adverbs and adverb particles (Swan, 2005) For instance:

Here is the milkman.

There comes my brother.

And there at last was the book I’d been looking for.

Down came the rain.

Up went the flag.

Subject-verb inversion with fronted object is chiefly limited to the reporting clausewhere the object represents direct speech and usually where the subject is not a personal

pronoun The subject often comes after reporting verbs like said, asked, suggested, etc

“Please go away!” said one child; “And don’t come back!” pleaded another.

“Whatever shall I do now?” wondering Fred, remembering-too late-the

appointment he had missed

Subject-verb inversion does not usually take place in a clause with a personal

pronoun alone as subject; hence we should have Here he is rather than Here is he; Here

he comes rather than Here comes he, etc But with contrast of subject, note:

Here am I, ill in bed, and you don’t seem to care.

1.2.2.2 Auxiliary inversion

Auxiliary inversion can be called subject-operator inversion in other word

According to Randolph Quirk (1985) in the book A comprehensive Grammar of the English Usage, in addition to inversion in questions, there are four common

circumstances in which the operator precedes the subject

Firstly, we have elliptical clause with initial so or the corresponding negatives neither or nor:

John saw the accident and so did Mary.

John didn’t see the accident and neither/nor did Mary.

She was angry and so was I.

She won’t go and neither should you.

But inversion is less common with certain modal auxiliaries (notably may, might, ought), and alternative substitute expressions with normal order are preferred.

She might be ill and he might (be) too

Secondly, we have subject-operator inversion where a phrase of negative form ofmeaning is fronted

Least of all is it in our interest to open negotiations now.

At no time must this door be left unlocked.

Further examples:

He refused to apologize Nor would he offer any explanation.

Scarcely had he started speaking when heckling broke out.

Only in this way / In this way alone is it possible to explain their actions.

As well as with adverbials, we may have inversion also with object phrases ofnegative form or meaning:

Not a single book had he read that month.

Only one more point will I make.

Thirdly, we have subject-verb operator inversion in comparative clauses when thesubject is not a personal pronoun:

Oil cost less than would atomic energy.

I spend more than do my friends.

She looks forward, as does her secretary, to the completion of the building.

With as, inversion is possible with a pronoun subject, especially if there is no correlative as:

She was as delighted with the suggestion as was he.

They go to concerts frequently, as do I.

Finally, subject-operator inversion occurs in subordinate clauses of condition andconcession, especially in rather formal usage:

Were she alive today, she would grieve at the change.

Were we to withdraw our support, they would be justifiably indignant.

Had I known, I would have gone to her.

Should you change your plans, please let me know.

Even had the building been open, we would not have entered.

It is to be noted that with negative clauses of this form we do not find contraction:

Were she not so handicapped, we would take her to the Alps.

I.2.3 Structures

I.2.3.1 Inversion in structure VS

Swan (2005) states that the subject often comes after reporting verbs like said,asked, suggested, etc when these follow direct speech:

“What do you mean?” asked Henry (or… Henry asked)

“I love you,” whispered Jan.

If the subject is a pronoun, it is usually comes before the verb:

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Subject-verb inversion with fronted object is chiefly limited to the reporting clausewhere the object represents direct speech and usually where the subject is not a personal

pronoun The subject often comes after reporting verbs like said, asked, suggested, etc.

(Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990)

“Please go away!” said one child; “And don’t come back!” growled another (…VS,….VS)

This is something of a literary convention, and in ordinary speech, VS wouldusually be replaced by SV

I.2.3.2 Inversion in structure AVS

The structure AVS can be seen in subject-verb inversion It puts subject in finalposition of the sentence, and indeed it is to achieve and focus on the subject that thefronting is generally undertaken

In the distant grave lies his beloved body (AVS)

A typical illustration of this structure is the sentence beginning with “here” which

is used for introduction or announcement:

“Here are sandwiches.” He handed me a package.

“Here’s a taxidermist’s,” Bill said “Want to buy anything? Nice stuff

Here is the milkman (AVS) - he’s come at last

The milkman is here (SVA)- at the door: shall I get two pints?

There’s the book I wanted - I’ve been looking for it all week

The book is there- by the typewriter

Similar to here, the initial position of now in full inversion makes the reader or

listener pay attention to a specific event or topic

Now is the hour that we must say goodbye.

Now is the time to consider the future of how Britain should be governed.

The AVS structure also appears in the sentence which have some certain verbs(stand, sit, lie, live, hang) after position adjunct This clause describes posture or existingstate of what subject gives

At the end of the garden stood a handsome building of the newest style.

The place is heavily guarded Because inside its walls sit the European

leaders

On one corner lay a school exercise book, with a stone ink-bottle and a pen

beside it

In the AVS structure of inversion, the clause having position adjunct followed by

be shows the location in space.

On the table is a beautiful hat.

Up on the top of the mountain we saw the lights of the fort Below to the left

was the river

The road came out from the shadow of the woods into the hot sun Ahead

was a river-valley Beyond the river was a steep hill

I.2.3.3 Inversion in structure CVS

The structure CVS is specified by “Adjective phrase + Be + Noun Phrase” It is

also one part of subject-verb inversion For example:

Especially remarkable was her oval face (CVS)Equally inexplicable was his behaviour toward his son (CVS)The complement in the CVS structure is usually adjectives concluding comparative

words such as equally, also, as, more, especially, so on The complement makes

comparative reference to something that has preceded

More important was scores he got in the match last month.

As beautiful as angel is my lovely cat.

I agree that it is important that the work should be of high standard Just as/ Equally important, if not more important, is the question of expense.

A year ago, two crashes occurred at the corner, and more recently has come

the news of a third

I.2.3.4 Inversion in structure Predication + be + subject

This structure is the case of full inversion having initial elements such as presentparticiple or past participle For instance:

Coming up to the stage now is this year’s winner of the Oscar.

Enclosed is a card for our permanent signature file which we request you to

sign and return to us

We can see that these types of sentence lead the reader or listener to particularsituation in discourse The writer/speaker not only mentions the action and state ofsubject, but also they want the reader/listener to focus on the subject

I.2.3.5 Inversion in structure Operator + subject + predication

This structure stands after negative adverbs such as never, nowhere, hardly, seldom, not only, at no time, so on when they are placed in front position for emphasis.

Never have I heard such nonsense.

Nowhere could they find a bottle-opener.

Hardly do I meet her nowadays.

Not only does she study well, but she also sings well.

Little did he realize the danger he faced.

No sooner had he stepped outside than it started to rain.

Only then did I understand what she meant.

Not until later did I realize that her father had died.

The same structure is possible after a complete clause beginning not until.

Not until he left did I know that he had been very important for me.

Not until he received her letter did he fully understand her feelings.

In conditional sentences, we can sometimes drop if and use inversion to have the structure operator + subject + predication For example:

Should you need my help again, just give me a ring.

Had I known you ill, I would have visited you.

The two types of inversion above occur in both the written language and (thoughless commonly) the spoken

In the sentence with so, so much, many, much, little we can sometimes see subject

after operator and before predication:

So dangerous did the weather conditions become that all mountain road is

closed

So quickly did she leave that we did not even realize was gone.

So much did she adore John that she would not give him up.

Many books did he read yesterday.

Much money have I spent for lunch.

Little does she know what surprises we have in store for her.

Question can be considered as a special type in this structure For example:

Do you enjoy reading books?

Have you finished your homework?

Could you tell me how to arrive Oxford University?

I.2.3.6 Inversion in structure pro-form + operator + subject

Pro-form is syntactic device for abbreviating constructions to avoid redundancy

Pro-form with initial so, neither, nor is a form of subject-operator inversion.

Mary studies hard and so does Tom.

Jack can swim and so can Terry.

Neither do most people I know.

He cannot understand Japanese Nor can I.

According to Quirk (1976) in the book A University Grammar of English, however, in this construction so is not a pro-form at all, but an additive adverb equivalent

in meaning to too or also, and the construction is elliptical So here is parallel to the negative adverbs neither and nor, which similarly take subject-verb inversion.

The corn is ripening, and so are the apples.

The corn is not ripening, and neither/nor are the apples.

I.2.4 Functions

I.2.4.1 Emphasis

Michael Vince (2003) states that inversion refers to changing the normal wordorder in the sentence so that a prepositional phrase is emphasized before the verb Thisalso involves putting the verb before the subject.

Suddenly down came the rain.

Up in the air went the balloon.

In the book The Teacher’s Grammar of English, Ron Cowan (2008) notes that in

journalism and academic expository prose, inversion commonly serve the function ofemphasizing a point related to what preceded The example below involves an adjectivephrase

Reports show that many passengers sustain trauma to the body and broken

limbs in this type of rollover accident Far more serious are the severe head

injuries that cause bruising of the brain

Michael Vince and Paul Emmerson (2003) in the book First Certificate Language Practice gives the function of inversion emphasize an adverb According to them, with

some expressions we can begin the sentence with an adverb and then put the verb before

the subject These cases happen with verbs such as come, go, live, stand,…

Inversion can be used to give special emphasis to the adjective with so at the

beginning of a clause (Martin, Hewings, 1999)

So successful was her business that Marie was able to retire at the age of 50.

If a negative adverbs or adverbial expression is put at the beginning of a clause for

emphasis, it is usually follow by auxiliary verb + subject These structures are mostly

rather formal (Michael Swan, 2005)

Under no circumstances can we cash cheques.

At no time was the President aware of what was happening.

Not until much later did she learn who her real father was

Emphasis function is typical one of auxiliary inversion With initial negativeelement, inversion occurs when scope of negation impacts on the whole sentence Forinstance:

With no coaching will he pass the exam

Compare with the normal form:

With no coaching he will pass the exam.

Emphasis is also a function of full inversion (subject-verb inversion) It relates tothe feelings of the reader/listener and it is usually surprising feelings when somethingsuddenly appears in a certain situation

Out of the house stepped Keith Sebastian.

Compare with:

Keith Sebastian stepped out of the house

I.2.4.2 Discourse function

Presentational function is typical one of structures in subject-verb inversion Thisfunction allows the using of inversion to describe context, confirm existence, appearance

of objects, events in a certain situation and state It aims to put the reader/listener intoposition of directly witnessed person For example:

The rain had stopped and I stepped out of bed and across the floor to the

window Down below were the gardens, bare now but beautiful regular, the

gravel paths, the trees, the stone wall by the lake and the lake in the sunlightwith the mountains beyond

Outside the curtained window was the summer heat of Madrid.

From all the churches sounded the joyful bells.

According to Ron Cowan (2008), in written English, inversion is used to avoidlong subject noun phrases Inversions are favorite device of journalists because theyprovide a concise and seamless means of connecting new information to old information.Inversions allow the writer to avoid a discontinuity with a preceding sentence that wouldoccur if a long, complex subject appeared in its normal position Typical example is:

Investigators were at the scene of the crash by ten o’clock Dead were the

pilot, Ralph Halsott, 29 Kankakee, III.; and two passengers, Susan Galston, 43,Milwaukee, Wis.; and William Johnson, 52, Chicago, III

Cowan adds that inversion can also be used to create the illusion for readers thatthey are witnessing an event or an action unfold before their eyes The writer’s descriptioncan mirror the perception of objects or events as they might appear in a movie where a

camera pans across a room This immediate observer effect is created by placing thedescription in successive inversion For example:

Ludo is conscientious He bends closely to his work He unscrews the plate

and removes it from the door Behind the plate is a chiseled cavity Inside the cavity is a polythene bag Inside the bag are several smaller bags Inside each of them is a………

Note that the successive inversions each have an initial prepositional phrase oflocation, which seems to take the reader first behind the plate and then inside the bag tothe bags inside

I.2.5 Uses of inversion

I.2.5.1 Inversion after adverbs

I.2.5.1.1 After negative adverbs

Michael Vince (2003) in the book First Certificate Language Practice states that in

formal speech and writing there is a special construction when the sentence begins with anegative adverb (or one with negative meaning) The subject and the verb are invertedfrom the normal form to a question form

In the book Advanced Language Practice, they notes that this only occurs when

the adverbial occurs at the beginning of a clause It is used in formal language, usually forrhetorical effect, such as in political speeches They are not usual in everyday spokenlanguage Compare:

Never have I heard a weaker excuse!

I have never heard a weaker excuse!

After time expressions: never, rarely, seldom, hardly

These are most commonly used with present perfect and past perfect or with

modals such as can and could Sentences of this type often contain comparatives.

Rarely can a minister have been faced with such a problem.

Seldom has the team given a worse performance.

Rarely had I had so much responsibility.

Hardly had we seen a man look so unhappy.

After time expressions: hardly/ barely/ scarcely……when, no sooner….than

These refer to an event which quickly follows another in the past They are usually

used with past perfect, although no sooner can be followed by past simple Note the

words used in the contrasting clause

Hardly had the train left the station when there was an explosion.

Scarcely had I entered the room when the phone rang.

No sooner had I reached the door than I realized it was locked.

No sooner was the team back on the pitch than it started raining.

Only if you tell me the truth, can I forgive you.

Only when/once/by studying hard can you pass this exam.

Only then did I know what I had got myself into.

We accepted the invitation Only later did we suspect it might be a trap Only in this way could the problem be solved.

Note that when only refers to “the state of being the only one”, there is noinversion following it

Only Mary realized that the door was not locked

After phrases containing no/not

These includes under no circumstance, on no account, at no time, in no way, on

no condition, not until, not only… (but also), for no reason, nowhere, by no means, not + object

On no condition are they to open fire without a warning.

Not until I got home did I notice that I had the wrong umbrella.

Under no circumstance should you touch these wires.

On no account should you be absent from your seminars.

At no time did I say I would accept late homework.

In no way could I agree with you.

Not only did Harry miss the train, but he also lost his case.

For no reason did you play truant.

Nowhere had Susan seen a more beautifully decorated room.

By no means does he intend to criticize your idea.

Not a single word did he say.

Note that inversion is not used after not far… and not long…

Not far from here you can see foxes

Not long after that she got married.

After little

Little also has a negative or restrictive meaning in this sense.

Little does the government appreciate what the results will be.

Little do they know how lucky they are to live in such a wonderful house.

I.2.5.1.2 After adverbs of place and direction

When we put an adverbial phrase, especially of direction or place, at the beginning

of the sentence, we sometimes put an intransitive adverb in front of its subject This kind

of inversion is found particularly in formal and literary styles (Martin Hewings, 1999)

Dave began to open the three parcels Inside the first was a book of

crosswords from his aunt Alice

Under the tree was lying one of the biggest men I had ever seen.

With the verb be we always use inversion in sentence like this, and inversion is usual with certain verbs of place and movement, such as climb, come, fly, go, hang, lie, run, sit, stand

Above the fireplace was a portrait of Duke (not ….a portrait of Duke was.)

In an armchair sat his mother (rather than… his mother sat.)

Inversion doesn’t usually occur with other verbs We don’t inverted subject and

verb when subject is a pronoun So, for example, we don’t say “In an armchair sat he”

In speech, inversion often occurs after here and there, and adverbs such as back, down, in, off, up, round, out, over, away, etc

Here comes Sandra’s car.

There goes her sister.

I lit the fuse and after a few seconds up went the rocket.

Note that if the subject is a pronoun, it will be put before the verb

Here she comes

Off we go!

I.2.5.1.3 After adverbs of time

Sometimes inversion can occur after adverb of time such as often, now, etc

Very often have we tried to do it.

Now is the best time to visit the Channel Islands.

Early in 1661 took place a general election.

I.2.5.1.4 After adverbs of order

Inversion can happen with first…, then…For example:

First comes love, then comes marriage.

First came the ambulance, then came the police car.

I.2.5.2 Inversion in conditional sentences

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

makes the sentences more formal and makes the events less likely Compare:

It would be a serious setback, if the talks were to false

 It would be a serious setback, were the talks to false.

If you should need more information, please telephone our main office

 Should you need more information, please telephone our main office.

If Alex had asked, I would have been able to help

 Had Alex asked, I would have been able to help.

John Eastwood (1994) states that we can use should in an if-clause to talk about

something which is possible but not very likely

If you should fall ill, I will pay your hospital expenses

 Should you fall ill, I will pay your hospital expenses.

We can use were to for a theoretical possibility.

If the decision were to go against us, we would appeal

 Were the decision to go against us, we would appeal.

We can do the same with the past perfect (Type 3 conditionals)

Had you taken a taxi, we would have got here on time.

Had the guests not complained, nothing would have been done.

Note that in negative clause with inversion, we don’t use contracted forms:

Had he not resigned, we would have been forced to sack him (not Hadn’t

he…….)The first and the third types of inversion occur in both the written language and(though less commonly) the spoken The second type, however, is generally confined to

the written language All occur most commonly when “it” is the subject and “be” is the

verb in the conditional clause (Graver, 1986)

I.2.5.3 Inversion after adjectives

In this case, adjectives are followed by subject-verb inversion and appear at initialposition of the sentence For example:

Beautiful beyond belief was my baby daughter.

Happy about their acceptance into their dream schools were Lany and

Tomo

Quick and painless will be your medical procedure.

This type of inversion is sometimes not used in poetic language

Sometimes, a few very literary sentences begin with an adjective and include aninversion

Blessed are the children who are still unaware of what the future holds.

Gone are the days when I could have been happy (The past participle gone

here is used like an adjective)

I.2.5.4 Inversion in comparatives

After comparative, inversion can be used

Bigger than an apatosaur is the blue whale.

More important than your personal statement is your GPA.

No less impressive than the invention of the laser was the development of

the wheel

Inversion in these cases is obligatory and used with be-verbs Note that we canonly use this form of inversion when the verb is a be-verb since every case, thecomparative is the complement of the be-verb

However, inversion is optional and used with all verbs after comparatives

Cheetahs run faster than do antelopes.

You speak Chinese better than does your friend Mary.

Jessica is more interested in Computer Science than is Benjamin.

We normally only have inversion here if we are comparing subjects of the verb, notobjects (Cheetahs ~ antelopes, You ~ Mary, Jessica ~ Benjamin)

Notice that we don’t invert subject and verb when the subject is a pronoun

I.2.5.5 Inversion with so, such

Inversion occurs with so and adjectives when the main verb is be It is used for emphasis and is more common than the example with such.

So devastating were the floods that some areas may never recover.

Such used with be means so great, so much Inversion with such is used to

emphasize the extent or degree of something

Such was the force of the storm that trees were uprooted.

Such is the popularity of the play that the theatre is likely to be full every

night

Notice that inversion only occurs if so/such is the first word in the clause.