Subject-Verb Inversion: Learn English Grammar

Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with  Jennifer here with another grammar lesson.  

I'll start with a tip. When you study grammar,  don't be afraid to ask questions. In fact,  

when you leave a lesson, you should have  answers to some very important questions,  

like what? What did I just learn? Why? Why do  I need this grammar? How? How do I form it?  

When? When do I use this grammar? Children often  make wonderful learners because they're curious.  

Let's not lose our curiosity. Ask questions  till you get the answers you need. Right now,  

I'm going to try my best to satisfy your  curiosity about subject-verb inversion in English.

Statement word order is subject +  verb. In all my earlier questions,  

I used subject-verb inversion. I flipped the two  around: verb + subject. What did I just learn?  

Why do I need this grammar? How  do I form it? When do I use it?

We also use subject-verb inversion in  tag questions and negative questions.  

You understand, don't you? This isn't difficult,  is it? Wouldn't you like to learn something new?

So, subject-verb inversion is a way we  make questions different from statements.  

One exception would be embedded questions.  Embedded questions aren't real questions.  

They're a type of noun clause inside a  larger statement or inside a question.  

I've told you what inversion is.

"What inversion is" is an embedded question.  This noun clause is the object of the verb.

Would you like to know where else inversion is  used? I am asking a real question, but inside  

this question is an embedded question. The noun  clause again is acting as the object of a verb.  

You can watch my lessons on embedded  questions if you need to review.  

Just remember they aren't real questions, so  they use statement word order: subject + verb.

Besides questions (real questions), there  are half dozen other cases where we see  

subject-verb inversion. Let's go  through them, shall we? We can use "so"  

and "neither" to make additions. In conversation,  we use "so" and "neither" to agree with someone  

about something. And inversion is needed.  Haley likes watching movies at home. So do I.

Jacob doesn't like crowded  movie theaters. Neither do I.

We use "so" for affirmative statements  and "neither: for negative statements.  

Both words are followed by a helping verb and then  a noun or a subject pronoun. You remember these  

patterns, don't you? Let's practice. Complete  these additions. Use the correct verb + subject.

I love musicals.

So do I.

I'm not crazy about horror  films with a lot of violence.

Neither am I. I've never walked out  of a theater in the middle of a movie.

Neither have I.

For a long time, I didn't know  that Hugh Jackman could sing.

Neither did I.

I've always appreciated  Michael J. Fox as an actor.

So have I.

Okay. Try two more. Tom Hanks hasn't  played many villains, and neither...

and neither has George Clooney.

Jennifer Lawrence has starred  in a sci-fi movie, and so...

and so has Anne Hathaway.

"Nor" is one of the coordinating conjunctions  in English. It's one of the FANBOYS: for,  

and, nor, but, or, yet, so. "Nor" allows us to  make an addition -- a negative addition. It joins  

two independent clauses together, and they form a  compound sentence. The first clause is negative,  

and we add another idea that also carries a  negative meaning. I do not like movies with  

a lot of violence, nor do I care for strong  vulgarity -- meaning a lot of swearing. "I do  

not like" -- that's negative. "Nor do I care" --  meaning "I don't care for that kind of language."

The movie did not offer a happy ending, nor did it  aim to inspire any hope, but it provoked thought.

In this sentence, I actually have  two coordinating conjunctions:  

"nor" and "but." "But" creates a contrast.  "Nor" allows an addition, a negative addition.  

I have three independent clauses. The clause  with "nor" has subject-verb inversion.

When we use subject-verb inversion,  note the use of helping verbs.  

These are the same verbs we use to form questions.  Also, note that I don't use any contractions.  

I use full forms. That's because "nor" is rather  formal. You won't use it much in everyday English.

Can you complete this sentence? You  can put your idea in the comments.

If you watched my playlist  on conditional sentences,  

you'll know that not all conditionals use "if."  In formal English, we can create conditionals  

with the help of subject-verb inversion. We do  this with the past perfect, like "had known,  

had done," with the modal verb "should,"  and with "were" + the infinitive.  

Look. Had I known that Hugh Jackman could sing  and dance, I would have been even more impressed.

Should you need to review, you  could refer to the other grammar  

lessons I recommend in the video description.

Were I to write a film script, I  would make it with a happy ending.

Whether I use inversion or not, this combination  of "were" + an infinitive suggests that it's  

highly unlikely. I'm probably  not going to write a film script,  

but if I ever did... were I to write a  film script, I would have a happy ending.

Practice with me. Rewrite these conditionals with  

subject-verb inversion. We're  going to make them more formal.

Answers. Had they bought tickets online,  they would have gotten better seats.

Should you ever have to leave a movie before  it is over, be quiet as you exit the theater.  

Were Jennifer to be invited to co-star with  Brad Pitt in a movie, she would readily accept.

"Here," "there," and prepositional phrases help  us create adverbials that answer the questions  

where? and when? In literature, like fairy tales,  subject-verb inversion is sometimes used. It  

doesn't sound like everyday English. To my ears,  it sounds poetic and at times musical. Listen.  

There on the other side of the  rainbow was a shining pot of gold.

Deep in the dark forest lived an evil witch.

So, why is inversion happening? It's a  tool we can use in descriptive writing.  

These place adverbials are at the front of the  sentence. When we have adverbials of time and  

place in this initial position, we can use  inversion. And, of course, I can say, "An  

evil witch lived deep in the dark forest,"  but it doesn't sound as exciting, does it?  

I get the feeling that the structure builds up  anticipation. We want to know what is on the other  

side of the rainbow. Who lived in the forest? And  were waiting to get that key piece of information.

But we don't have to turn to children's  books for examples of inversion.  

Everyday statements with "here"  and "there" use inversion.

Here comes the train. Stand up.

Here's the money I owe you.

Ah! There goes my bus. I missed it again.

Here's an expression you can learn. It uses  subject-verb inversion. Here goes nothing.  

We say this when we're about to take a risk and  try something new. It's difficult in some way. We  

suspect that it's going to be unpleasant. We may  meet with failure. Here goes nothing. For example,  

I invite you to go roller-skating. You've never  roller-skated before. You put on your skates,  

you stand up, and you say, "Here goes nothing!"  You're saying, "Well, let's see how this goes."

Earlier I told you about the coordinating  conjunction "nor." It joins two independent  

clauses together. There's also a correlative  conjunction. It's made up of two parts:  

"not only...but also..." is an example. It's  an example of a correlative conjunction.  

If you start a sentence with "not only,"  you need inversion in the first part.  

"But also" is a continuation.  You're adding an idea.  

Not only this, but also that. In the first  clause, you must invert the subject and verb.

Not only was Robin Williams a hilarious comedian,  but he was also an incredibly talented actor.

Not only could he do comedy, but he could  also pull your heartstrings in dramatic roles.

With a correlative conjunction,  we need parallel structure.  

Look how the two parts have parallel  grammar. The two sides are equal.

How would you finish these sentences?  You can put your ideas in the comments,  

and remember that first part has inversion.

Let's continue with negative structures. Many  negative adverbs can start a sentence. We use this  

initial position for emphasis, and this position  forces us to use subject-verb inversion. I have a  

full lesson on negative adverbs and inversion.  I'll put the link in the video description.  

Right now, let's review several examples.  As I give each example, spot the inversion.

Seldom do comedies win awards  for best picture of the year.

Rarely do actors make short acceptance  speeches when they win an award.

Hardly had the movie begun when someone  in our row exited to use the restroom.

Not for a moment did the fast-paced action  let up. It was one thrill after another.

Never have I cried so much while watching a movie.

Little did anyone realize at the time of filming  

that Strictly Ballroom would  become a worldwide success.

Can you use subject-verb  inversion in these sentences?

Answers. Rarely do movie  productions stay within budget.

Not even for a second did they  question the director's decision.

Adverb clauses with "only" in the initial position  

also call for subject-verb inversion, but  the inversion happens in the main clause,  

later in the sentence. Can you spot  the inversion in these examples?

Only if I'm really scared by a movie  will I sleep with the light on.

Only after the parents checked under the bed for  monsters did the little boy agree to sleep alone.

Can you finish this sentence?  It can be movie-related or not.  

Put your sentence in the comments.

We'll end here. Hopefully, you understand what  inversion is and when we use it. For example,  

in real questions and in formal conditional  sentences. I hope you also understand how we  

use inversion to emphasize negative ideas. You can  check out other lessons in my grammar playlist,  

and please remember to like and share this video.  As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!

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