Inversion

20 упражнений

Инверсия делает речь формальной и выразительной: Never have I seen…, No sooner had she… than, Not only did he…, Under no circumstances should you… В уроке — все основные конструкции уровня C1, частые ошибки и упражнения с проверкой.

К упражнениям

Выделенным отмечены конструкции, которые чаще всего упускают: их стоит запомнить в первую очередь.Highlighted parts are the structures that are most often missed: learn these first.

1

Negative adverbials

Never / Rarely / Seldom / Little / Hardly ever / Nowhere + auxiliary + subject + verb

В формальной и выразительной речи отрицательное или ограничительное наречие ставится в начало предложения. Тогда после него идёт вспомогательный глагол, затем подлежащее.In formal or emphatic English a negative or limiting adverb comes first. It is followed by an auxiliary verb, then the subject.

Never have I seen such a mess.

Rarely do we eat out on weekdays.

Seldom does he complain about his job.

Если в обычном порядке слов вспомогательного глагола нет (Present Simple и Past Simple), добавляем do / does / did. Глагол после них — в начальной форме.If the normal word order has no auxiliary (present simple and past simple), add do / does / did. The main verb is then in the base form.

Little did she know what was waiting for her.

Nowhere else do you find such friendly people.

2

Only and Not until

Only + time / condition / manner + auxiliary + subject + verb

Инверсия вызывается словами с only: only then, only later, only after / when / if, only by + -ing. Она нужна в главной части предложения.Phrases with only cause inversion: only then, only later, only after / when / if, only by + -ing. Inversion is needed in the main clause.

Only then did she realise the truth.

Only by working together can we solve this problem.

Not until + время или придаточное: инверсия в главной части, а не в части с not until.Not until + time or clause: the inversion is in the main clause, not in the not until part.

Not until I got home did I realise I had lost my keys.

3

No sooner … than / Hardly … when

No sooner / Hardly / Scarcely + had + subject + past participle … than / when

Две конструкции для «как только»: действия идут одно за другим, в первой части Past Perfect с инверсией. После no sooner — than, после hardly и scarcely — when.Two structures meaning “as soon as”: the first action uses the past perfect with inversion. After no sooner we use than; after hardly and scarcely we use when.

No sooner had I sat down than the phone rang.

Hardly had she left when it began to rain.

4

Not only … but also

Not only + auxiliary + subject + verb, but (also) …

Инверсия нужна только в части с not only. Вторая часть (but also) идёт в обычном порядке слов.Inversion is needed only in the not only part. The second part (but also) has normal word order.

Not only did he forget the documents, but he also lied about it.

Not only is the flat small, but it is also very expensive.

5

Under no circumstances, On no account, At no time

Under no circumstances / On no account / At no time / In no way + auxiliary + subject + verb

Выражения с no в начале предложения звучат как строгий запрет или категорическое отрицание. Типичны для правил, инструкций и официальных текстов.Phrases with no at the start sound like a strict ban or a firm denial. They are typical of rules, instructions and official texts.

Under no circumstances should you open the door.

On no account may luggage be left unattended.

At no time did the manager suggest that we were wrong.

6

So and Such

So + adjective / Such + noun + verb + subject … that

So + прилагательное + be + подлежащее или Such + be + подлежащее — для сильного эффекта: «настолько…, что…».So + adjective + be + subject or Such + be + subject gives a strong effect: “so… that…”.

So loud was the noise that nobody could sleep.

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

7

Conditional inversion

Should / Were / Had + subject … (instead of if)

В формальной речи if можно убрать, поставив вперёд should (первое условное), were (второе) или had (третье).In formal English if can be dropped by putting should (first conditional), were (second) or had (third) first.

Should you need any help, please ask.

Were they to break the contract, we would take legal action.

Had I known about the delay, I would have booked an earlier train.

Подробнее о should и were — в уроке Present and future conditionals.More about should and were in the lesson Present and future conditionals.

Все конструкции в одной таблицеAll the structures in one table

StructureExampleЗначениеMeaning
Never / Rarely / LittleNever have I seen…Редко, никогдаRarely, never
Only then / Only byOnly then did she realise…Только тогда, только такOnly then, only by
Not untilNot until later did I understand…Только после того, какOnly after
No sooner … thanNo sooner had I sat down than…Как толькоAs soon as
Hardly … whenHardly had she left when…Едва… какHardly… when
Not only … but alsoNot only did he forget, but…Не только… но иNot only… but also
Under no circumstancesUnder no circumstances should you…Ни при каких условияхUnder no condition
So / SuchSo loud was the noise that…Настолько… чтоSo… that
Should / Were / HadHad I known, I would have…Формальное условноеFormal conditional

Частые ошибкиCommon mistakes

  • Never I have seen such a mess.

    Never have I seen such a mess.

    После отрицательного наречия в начале нужен вспомогательный глагол перед подлежащим.After a fronted negative adverb the auxiliary comes before the subject.

  • Hardly had she left than it rained.

    Hardly had she left when it rained.

    Hardly и scarcely употребляются с when; than — только с no sooner.Hardly and scarcely go with when; than goes only with no sooner.

  • Only then she understood.

    Only then did she understand.

    После only + наречие времени нужна инверсия: did she understand.After only + a time adverb we need inversion: did she understand.

  • Not until I got home I realised…

    Not until I got home did I realise…

    Инверсия ставится в главной части (did I realise), а не в части с not until.Inversion goes in the main clause (did I realise), not in the not until part.

  • Not only he forgot, but also…

    Not only did he forget, but he also…

    После not only нужен did / does / do и инфинитив.After not only we need did / does / do and the base form.

Инверсия часто нужна в CAE Key word transformations: потренируйтесь в Key word transformations.Inversion often appears in CAE Key word transformations: practise in Key word transformations.

УпражненияPractice

Выберите вариант или впишите слово. Ответ проверяется сразу.Choose an option or type the word. Each answer is checked straight away.

Верно: 0 из 20

  1. Never ___ such a beautiful view.

  2. Rarely ___ out on weekdays.

  3. Little ___ she know what was waiting for her.

  4. No sooner had I arrived ___ the meeting started.

  5. Hardly had she left ___ it began to rain.

  6. Not only ___ late, but he also forgot the documents.

  7. Under no circumstances ___ the door.

  8. Only then ___ the truth.

  9. Not until I got home ___ I had lost my keys.

  10. So ___ the noise that nobody could sleep.

  11. ___ I known about the delay, I would have booked an earlier train.

  12. Only by working together ___ solve this problem.

  13. Such ___ the force of the storm that trees were uprooted.

  14. On no account ___ be left unattended.

  15. “I have never felt so embarrassed.” → Never ___ so embarrassed.

  16. “She didn’t only forget; she also lied.” → Not only ___ she forget, but she also lied.

  17. “As soon as we sat down, the lights went out.” → No sooner ___ we sat down than the lights went out.

  18. “You can only succeed if you practise.” → Only if you practise ___ succeed.

  19. “He rarely complains.” → Rarely ___ he complain.

  20. “I didn’t realise I was lost until it got dark.” → Not until it got dark ___ I realise I was lost.

Частые вопросы об инверсии

Что такое инверсия в английском языке?

Это изменение обычного порядка слов: вспомогательный глагол ставится перед подлежащим. Например: Never have I seen such a mess вместо I have never seen such a mess. Инверсия делает речь более формальной и выразительной.

После каких слов нужна инверсия?

После отрицательных и ограничительных выражений в начале предложения: never, rarely, seldom, little, hardly, no sooner, not only, not until, only then, under no circumstances, on no account, at no time. Также в конструкциях So… that и Such… that и в условных предложениях с should, were и had.

Какой глагол ставить, если вспомогательного нет?

Добавьте do, does или did по форме времени: Rarely do we eat out, Seldom does he complain, Little did she know. Основной глагол после них стоит в начальной форме.

Чем отличаются No sooner … than и Hardly … when?

Значение почти одинаковое («как только»). После no sooner ставится than, после hardly и scarcely — when. В обеих конструкциях в первой части используется Past Perfect: No sooner had I sat down than the phone rang.

Где ставится инверсия в предложении с Not until?

В главной части, а не в части с not until: Not until I got home did I realise I had lost my keys.

Зачем инверсия нужна на экзамене CAE?

Инверсия часто встречается в заданиях Key word transformations и показывает владение сложной грамматикой в Writing и Speaking. Её стоит использовать умеренно, там, где нужна выразительность или формальность.

Продолжайте практику: условные предложения, Key word transformations и Open cloze.

Inversion FAQ

What is inversion in English?

Inversion changes the normal word order: the auxiliary verb goes before the subject. For example: Never have I seen such a mess instead of I have never seen such a mess. It makes the language more formal and emphatic.

Which words need inversion?

Negative and limiting expressions at the start of a sentence: never, rarely, seldom, little, hardly, no sooner, not only, not until, only then, under no circumstances, on no account, at no time. Also So… that and Such… that, and conditional sentences with should, were and had.

Which verb do I use if there is no auxiliary?

Add do, does or did according to the tense: Rarely do we eat out, Seldom does he complain, Little did she know. The main verb that follows is in the base form.

What is the difference between No sooner … than and Hardly … when?

The meaning is almost the same (“as soon as”). No sooner is followed by than, while hardly and scarcely are followed by when. Both use the past perfect in the first part: No sooner had I sat down than the phone rang.

Where does inversion go in a sentence with Not until?

In the main clause, not in the not until part: Not until I got home did I realise I had lost my keys.

Why does inversion matter for CAE?

Inversion often appears in Key word transformations and shows control of complex grammar in Writing and Speaking. Use it in moderation, where you need emphasis or formality.

Keep practising: conditionals, Key word transformations and Open cloze.