INVERSION IN ENGLISH

What is an inversion?

 Certain words and phrases can be put at the beginning of a sentence. When this happens, inversion is used, which means placing the verb before the subject. In cases where the tense does not use an auxiliary verb in the affirmative, such as the present simple or the past simple, one must be added. 

Why do we use an inversion?

 To give emphasis or literary or dramatic effect in formal writing and speech.

 When do we use an inversion?

 1. Inversion after negative adverbs and adverbs expressions:

         Never, rarely, seldom, hardly ever, not once (These are most commonly used with present perfect        or past perfect, or with modals such as can and could.

 

Never have I felt better

Rarely had his father been more helpful.

 

 Hardly…when, barely…when, scarcely…when, no sooner….than  These refer to an event which quickly follows another in the past. They are usually used with past perfect, although no sooner can be followed by past simple.

 

Hardly had I arrived home when the phone rang.

No sooner was she back home than she realized her mistake.

 

-                  Expressions containing the word no: Under no circumstances, On no account, At no time, In              no way.

Under no circumstances can customers pay in cash.

In no way do I agree with you.

     Not since, not until, only after, only then, only if, only when, only once, only by (+ verb-ing): in       these expressions, the inversion comes in the second part of the sentence

 

Only when we arrived home did I realize I had lost my purse

Only by working hard, did he get the job.

 

-                In Not only…….. but also inversion is used.

 

Not only did we lose our money, but also we had an accident.

 

     little with a negative meaning

 

Little do they know how lucky they are to live in such a wonderful house.

 2. Conditional clauses in which, if is replaced

   First conditional: replace if with should

Should he call, please tell me.

-          Second conditional: replace if with were and verb in infinitive with to

Were I to meet the Queen of England, I would be delighted.

-          Third conditional: delete if and invert the subject and the auxiliary verb.

Had I my alarm clock worked, I would not have missed the flight.

 

3. Inversion with so/such ……that

       - so+ adjective/little/few/much/many

                        So little did he know about her that he didn't know her name.

                        So exhausted was she that she fell asleep on the couch.

      - such + noun

                        Such was the film's popularity that the cinema was full every day.

EXERCISES:  1   / 2   / 3   / 4   / 5   / 

C1 ADVANCED(CAE): USE OF ENGLISH EXERCISES WITH ANSWER KEY AND AN EXPLANATION

Although part 1 appears at the beginning of the Use of English, it`s a part of the reading along with parts 5,6,7 and 8. Here are interactive exercises with answer key and an explanation of part 1, 2,3 and 4 to help you prepare and succeed in the Cambridge Cae exam.

PART 1: MULTIPLE CHOICE CLOZE

exercise 1           exercise 2
exercise 3           exercise 4
exercise 5           exercise 6
exercise 7           exercise 8
exercise 9           exercise 10
exercise 11         exercise 12
exercise 13         exercise 14
exercise 15         exercise 16
exercise 17         exercise 18
exercise 19         exercise 20

PART 2: OPEN CLOZE

exercise 1          exercise 2
exercise 3          exercise 4
exercise 5          exercise 6
exercise 7          exercise 8
exercise 9          exercise 10
exercise 11        exercise 12
exercise 13        exercise 14
exercise 15        exercise 16
exercise 17        exercise 18
exercise 19        exercise 20

PART 3: WORD FORMATION

exercise 1          exercise 2
exercise 3          exercise 4
exercise 5          exercise 6
exercise 7          exercise 8
exercise 9          exercise 10
exercise 11        exercise 12
exercise 13        exercise 14
exercise 15        exercise 16
exercise 17        exercise 18
exercise 19        exercise 20

PART 4: KEY WORD TRANSFORMATIONS

exercise 1         exercise 2
exercise 3         exercise 4
exercise 5         exercise 6
exercise 7         exercise 8
exercise 9         exercise 10
exercise 11       exercise 12
exercise 13       exercise 14
exercise 15       exercise 16
exercise 17       exercise 18
exercise 19       exercise 20

ADVANCED PARTICIPLE CLAUSES

Participle clauses are used to put a lot of information in one sentence. We can use participle clauses when the participle and the verb in the main clause have the same subject. There are three types of participle clauses: the present participle, past participle and perfect participle.
Follow these rules:
1. Relevant information goes in the main clause and the less important in the participle clause.
2. The relative pronouns and the conjunctions as, because and since are left out whereas the conjunctions before and when are used in the participle clause. But, after and while can be both used or left out.

Click here for the video explanation 👀

Now it's time to do exercises with answers:

Matching exercises: exercise 1          exercise 2

Reprasing exercises: exercise on present participle
                                       exercise on past participle
                                       exercise on perfect particple
Rephrasing sentences: exercise 1 / exercise 2 / exercise 3 / exercise 4 / exercise 5

ADVANCED GRAMMAR INVERSION

Inversion is when we invert the structure of a sentence and put the verb before the subject. This is used to add emphasis in written text. Inversion can be used after negative adverbial expressions, adverbial expressions of place, conditional sentences, and so on.

Click here for the video explanation: 👀

Now it´s time to do exercises with answers:

 exercise 1
 exercise 2
 exercise 3
 exercise 4
 exercise 5

C1 ADVANCED (CAE) READING AND USE OF ENGLISH: 10 TESTS

The reading and use of English paper lasts for 90 minutes, consists of eight tasks and has a total of 56 questions. There are some posts on this blog with explanations, tips and strategies that can help you to do it well.

Task 1. Multiple Choice Cloze (8 questions)

Task 2. Open Cloze (8 questions)

Task 3. Word Formation (8 questions)

Task 4. Key Word Transformation (6 questions)

Task 5. Multiple Choice (6 questions)

Task 6. Cross-text Multiple Matching (4 questions)

Task 7. Gapped Text (6 questions)

Task 8. Multiple Matching (10 questions)

Below you will find links to practice CAE reading and use of English. There are ten tests, and each one has answers, explanations and some vocabulary.
test 1          test 2
test 3          test 4
test 5          test 6
test 7          test 8
test 9          test 10

GRAMMAR A2 / B1 / B2 AND C1

Tests are coming closer and you may need to check your grammar.
This link GRAMMAR EXERCISES can help you. Choose your level and the point of grammar you need to study.

C1 ADVANCED: READING AND USE OF ENGLISH PART 1,2,3 AND 4

Are you sitting the advanced test in a near future? Here you will find some useful links to practise and improve your English.

Part 1 multiple choice cloze:

Exercise 1, Exercise 2, Exercise 3, Exercise 4, Exercise 5

Part 2 open cloze test:

Exercise 1, Exercise 2, Exercise 3, Exercise 4, Exercise 5

Part 3 word formation:

Exercise 1, Exercise 2, Exercise 3, Exercise 4, Exercise 5

Part 4 key word transformations:

Exercise 1, Exercise 2, Exercise 3, Exercise 4, Exercise 5

C1 ADVANCED (CAE): READING AND USE OF ENGLISH PART 4

1.  TASK  INFORMATION:

a)    Part 4 consists of six questions plus one example – each with a lead-in the sentence, a keyword, and a second gapped sentence for you to complete with the keyword ( you must not change the form of it) so that it has the same meaning as the example sentence.

b)   Part 4 tests your knowledge of grammar, lexis and structure and your ability to express sense using different structures. The mark scheme divides the answer into two parts, and you get a mark for each part that you write correctly.

c)    You will need to write between three and six-word to complete each gap.

2.  ACTION PLAN:

a)    Read the first sentence carefully.

b)   Make sure the second sentence conveys precisely the same meaning as the first one.

c)    Decide what kind of word the keyword is, and what often follows it.

d)   Begin by thinking about what the question is testing (e.g. conditional or phrasal verbs).

e)   Think about whether you need to make a grammatical change (e.g. from active to passive) or a vocabulary change (e.g. Change escape to the phrasal verb get away or change a linking expression like because to on account of).

f)    Check whether you need to make any other changes. (e.g. a noun to an adjective, an affirmative to a negative).

g)   Check you have included all the information from the first sentence and that you haven’t added anything.

h)   Check that what you write fits with both what goes before and what comes after the gap.

i)     Count the words. Contractions (isn’t, can’t, etc.) count as two words.

         
            CLICK HERE: exercise 1