WORD ORDER

 

In English we distinguish between direct and indirect (inverted) word order:

1) direct ― Subject ― Predicate ― Object (declarative sentences);

2) indirect (inversion of some parts for greater emphasis or with a special grammatical or communicative value).

Inversion can be of two types:

― full (when the predicate precedes the subject);

― partial (when only part of the predicate precedes the subject).

Inverted word order fulfils three following functions:

1. Grammatical

a) in questions:

Is he at home?

b) in exclamatory sentences which are negative in form but positive in meaning:

Doesn't she sing beautifully!

c) in conditional clauses introduced asyndetically:

Had he gone to her aid he would only have got himself caught.

d) in adverbial clauses of concession(if the predicative is a noun the article is omitted):

Child though he is, he is completely aware of the situation.

Tired though he was, he continued walking.

e) in the author's words in direct speech:

"Be quick!", said Pat.

But: “Be quick!”, he said (no inversion when the subject is a pronoun).

f) in stage directions:

Enter Napoleon.

Exit Lady Hummond.

2. Communicative (in order to provide the final position for the rheme, the most important communicative part — this is the so-called end-focus)

a) In sentences with the introductory there, here:

There were not too many people at the zoo.

b) In sentences beginning with adverbial modifiers, often protracted:

At a square table, on a stiff armchair of black wood sat Mr. Johnson.

c) In sentences beginning with so or neithe r (showing that the remark applies equally to someone or something else):

I like this melodical sound very much. — So do I.

But! We do not use inversion when so is used for emphatic confirmation.

You have stained your blouse with cherry. ― Oh, so I have.

3. Emphatic (to make any part of the sentence prominent by putting it in an unusual position)

In sentences beginning with:

a) negative words never, not,not only, not once, on no condition, on no account, no sooner, under no circumstances:

Never has she spoken with so much confidence.

b) semi-negative time adverbials: seldom, scarcely, hardly, rarely:

Hardly had we entered the house when the storm began.

c) words of restrictive meaning: well, many, little:

Little do they know about her.

Well do I remember her.

d) after only +time expression:

Only then did they realize their mistake.

Only when she came home did she realize that she had lost her purse.

But: Only Mary knows the answer (no inversion here).

e) words like so and such followed by that:

So dangerous did the weather become, that all the flights were cancelled.

Note: The inversion is partial here!

f) in sentences beginning with a predicative, adverbial modifier of manner or a postposition.

Tall and graceful was Jim.

Up flew the plane.

But: Up it flew.