Adding emphasis: inversion

In formal English, especially in writing, we sometimes change the normal word order to make the sentence more emphatic or dramatic. We call this change in word order “inversion”. Inversion is common, for example, in political speeches, because it has a persuasive and impressive effect.

1. This structure is common with negative adverbial expressions such as Not only …, Not until …, Never …, and No sooner … than (= a formal way of saying as soon as).
2. When we use inversion after the above expressions, we change the order of the subject and (auxiliary) verb NOT Not only my brother is lazy …
3. Compare:
4. My brother is not only lazy, but he’s also very selfish. (= normal word order)
5. Not only is my brother lazy, but he’s also very selfish. (= inversion, to make the sentence more emphatic)

2. In the present simple and past simple tense, rather than simply inverting the subject and verb we use do / does / did + subject + main verb NOT Not only forgot you to put the window

3. Inversion is also used after the expressions Only then …, Only when …, Hardly / Scarcely … when, and Rarely ….

• Grammar checkpoint

  ⚠ Inversion should only be used occasionally for dramatic effect. Overusing it will make your English sound unnatural.