STRUCTURE &
WRITTEN
EXPRESSION
Part 4
OUTLINE
TODAY WE WILL LEARN:
1. Inverted Subject and Verb
2. Exercise
Inverted Subject & Verb
Subjects and verbs are inverted in a variety of
situations in English. Inverted subjects and verbs occur
most often in the formation of a question. To form
a question with a helping verb (be, have, can, could,
will, would, etc.), the subject and helping verb are
inverted.
Inverted Subject & Verb
Examples:
• He can go to the movies.
• Can he go to the movies?
• You would tell me the truth.
• Would you tell me the truth?
• She was sick yesterday.
• Was she sick yesterday?
Inverted Subject & Verb
To form a question when there is no helping verb in
the sentence, the helping verb do is used.
• He goes to the movies.
• Does he go to the movies?
• You told me the truth.
• Did you tell me the truth?
Inverted
Subject &
Verb
Skills
Skill 1: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH QUESTION
WORDS
There is some confusion about when to invert the subject and verb
after question words such as what, when, where, why, and how. These
words can have two very different functions in a sentence.:
• They can introduce a question, and in this case the subject and verb
that follow are inverted.
• these words can join together two clauses, and in this case the
subject and verb that follow are not inverted.
Skill 1: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH QUESTION
WORDS
Study these examples
To introduce a question: To join clauses:
• What is the homework? • I do not know what the homework is.
• When can I leave? • When I can leave, I will take the
• Where are you going? first train.
• Do you know where you are going?
Skill 1: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH QUESTION
WORDS
Example:
The lawyer asked the client why _________ it.
(A) did he do
(B) did he
(C) he did
(D) did
Skill 2: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH PLACE
EXPRESSIONS
After ideas expressing place, the subject and the verb sometimes invert in
English. This can happen with single words expressing place, such as here,
there, or nowhere.
• Here is the book that you lent me.
• There are the keys that I thought I lost.
• Nowhere have I seen such beautiful weather.
Skill 2: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH PLACE
EXPRESSIONS
The subject and verb can also be inverted after prepositional phrases
expressing place.
• In the closet are the clothes that you want.
• Around the corner is Sam’s house.
• Beyond the mountains lies the town where you will live.
Skill 2: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH PLACE
EXPRESSIONS
It is important to understand that the subject and verb will invert
after place expressions at the beginning of a sentence only when the
place expression is necessary to complete the sentence. Study the following
examples:
• In the forest are many exotic birds.
• In the forest I walked for many hours.
Skill 2: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH PLACE
EXPRESSIONS
Example
On the second level of the parking lot ...................
(A) is empty
(B) are empty
(C) some empty stalls are
(D) are some empty stalls
Skill 3: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
NEGATIVES
The subject and verb can also be inverted after certain negatives and
related expressions. When negative expressions, such as no, not, or never,
come at the beginning of a sentence, the subject and verb are inverted.
• Not once did I miss a question.
• Never has Mr. Jones taken a vacation.
• At no time can the woman talk on the telephone.
Skill 3: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
NEGATIVES
Certain words in English, such as hardly, barely, scarcely, and only, act
like negatives. If one of these words comes at the beginning of a
sentence, the subject and verb are also inverted.
• Hardly ever does he take time off.
(This means that he almost never takes time off.)
• Only once did the manager issue overtime paychecks.
(This means that the manager almost never issued overtime paychecks.)
Skill 3: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
NEGATIVES
When a negative expression appears in front of a subject and verb in
the middle of a sentence, the subject and verb are also inverted. This
happens often with the negative words neither and nor.
• I don’t like parties and neither does my sister.
• “I don’t speak French.” “Nor do I”
Skill 3: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
NEGATIVES
Example
Only in extremely dangerous situations _____________ stopped.
(A) will be the printing pressed
(B) the printing pressed will be
(C) that the printing pressed will be
(D) will the printing pressed be
Skill 4: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
CONDITIONALS
In certain conditional structures, the subject and verb may also be
inverted. This can occur when the helping verb in the conditional clause is
had, should, or were, and the conditional connector if is omitted.
• If he had taken more time, the results would have been better.
• Had he taken more time, the results would have been better.
• I would help you if I were in a position to help.
• I would help you were I in a position to help.
Skill 4: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
CONDITIONALS
Example
The report would have been accepted in checking its accuracy.
(A) if more care
(B) more care had been taken
(C) had taken more care
(D) had more care been taken
Skill 5: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
COMPARISONS
An inverted subject and verb may occur also after a comparison. The
inversion of a subject and verb after a comparison is optional, rather
than required, and it is a rather formal structure. There have been a
number of inverted comparisons on recent TOEFL tests, so you should be
familiar with this structure.
Skill 5: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
COMPARISONS
• My sister spends more hours in the office than John.
• My sister spends more hours in the office than John does.
• My sister spends more hours in the office than does John.
All three examples are grammatically correct.
Skill 5: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
COMPARISONS
Example
The results of the current experiment appear to be more consistent than
the results of any previous tests.
(A) them
(B) were
(C) they were
(D) were they
Exercise
TREE
STRONG/MEDIUM
