When do we use inversion? Of course, we use inversion in questions.

But we also sometimes use

inversion in other cases, when we are not making a question.

1: When we use a negative adverb or adverb phrase at the beginning of the sentence.

Usually, we put the expression at the beginning of the sentence to emphasise what we're saying. It makes
our sentence sound surprising or striking or unusual. It also sounds quite formal. If you don't want to
give this impression, you can put the negative expression later in the sentence in the normal way:
 Seldom have I seen such beautiful work.
('Seldom' is at the beginning, so we use inversion. This sentence emphasizes what beautiful work
it is.)
 I have seldom seen such beautiful work.
('Seldom' is in the normal place, so we don't use inversion. This is a normal sentence with no
special emphasis.)

Here are some negative adverbs and adverb phrases that we often use with inversion:
Hardly Hardly had I got into bed when the telephone rang.
Never Never had she seen such a beautiful sight before.
Seldom Seldom do we see such an amazing display of dance.
Rarely Rarely will you hear such beautiful music.
Only then Only then did I understand why the tragedy had happened.
Not only ... but Not only does he love chocolate and sweets but he also smokes.
No sooner No sooner had we arrived home than the police rang the doorbell.
Scarcely Scarcely had I got off the bus when/than it crashed into the back of a car.
Only later Only later did she really think about the situation.
Nowhere Nowhere have I ever had such bad service.
Little Little did he know!
Only in this way Only in this way could John earn enough money to survive.
In no way In no way do I agree with what you're saying.
On no account
Under no circumstances
On no condition
On no account should you do anything without asking me first.
On no account
At no time

In the following expressions, the inversion comes in the second part of the sentence:

Not until Not until I saw John with my own eyes did I really believe he was safe.
Not since Not since Lucy left college had she had such a wonderful time.
Only after Only after I'd seen her flat did I understand why she wanted to live there.
Only when Only when we'd all arrived home did I feel calm.
Only by Only by working extremely hard could we afford to eat.

We only use inversion when the adverb modifies the whole phrase and not when it modifies the noun:
Hardly anyone passed the exam. (No inversion.)
Only Jane passed the exam. (No inversion)
2: We can use inversion instead of 'if' in conditionals with 'had' 'were' and 'should'. This is quite
formal:
 Normal conditional: If I had been there, this problem wouldn't have happened.
 Conditional with inversion: Had I been there, this problem wouldn't have happened.

 Normal conditional: If we had arrived sooner, we could have prevented this tragedy!
 Conditional with inversion: Had we arrived sooner, we could have prevented this tragedy!

3: We can use inversion if we put an adverbial expression of place at the beginning on the sentence.
This is also quite formal or literary:
 On the table was all the money we had lost. (Normal sentence: All the money we had lost was on
the table.)
 Round the corner came the knights. (Normal sentence: The knights came round the corner.)

4: We can use inversion after 'so + adjective...that':

 So beautiful was the girl that nobody could talk of anything else. (Normal sentence: the girl was
so beautiful that nobody could talk of anything else.)
 So delicious was the food that we ate every last bite. (Normal sentence: the food was so delicious
that we ate every last bite.)

 Inverted Sentence = Question Form

 The question form (auxiliary + subject + main verb) takes the place of the standard positive
sentence structure (i.e. He goes to work every day) in inverted sentences.

 Not only do I enjoy classical music, but I also have a season ticket to the symphony.
Seldom has the boss been so upset!
So difficult has science became that only specialists can fathom its complexities.

 In this case, the question form is substituted for standard sentence structure in a statement.
Generally, an inversion is used to stress the uniqueness of an event and begins with a negative.

Never, Rarely, Seldom in Inverted Sentences

 Never, rarely, and seldom are used in inverted sentences to express how unique a given situation
is. These time expressions are used with a perfect form or with modals and often include
comparatives:
 Never have I been more insulted!
Seldom has he seen anything stranger.
Rarely has someone been so wrong as you.

Hardly, Barely, No sooner, or Scarcely

 These time expressions are used when a there are a succession of events in the past. The use of
this form of inversion focuses on how quickly something happened after something else had been
completed.
 Scarcely had I got out of bed when the doorbell rang.
No sooner had he finished dinner, when she walked in the door.
Barely had I walked in the door, when me dog came rushing to greet me.

Using After 'Only' Expressions, Such as 'Only After' and 'Only Then'
  'Only' is used with a variety of time expressions such as 'only when' 'only as soon as', etc. This
form of inversion focuses on how important something in understanding a situation clearly.
 Only then did I understand the problem.
Only after understanding the situation does the teacher make a comment.
Only when all the stars have gone out will I grasp the complexity of the universe.

Using After 'Little'

 'Little' is used in a negative sense in inversions to stress that something has not been understood
completely.
 Little did he understand the situation.
Little have I read concerning nanotechnology.
Little was I aware that she was in town.

Inversion After 'So' and 'Such'

 The modifiers 'so', and 'such' are related and are also used in version. Remember that 'so' is used
with adjectives and 'such' with nouns.
 'So'

 'So + adjective ... that' combines with the verb 'to be'.

 So strange was the situation that I couldn't sleep.

So difficult is the test that students need three months to prepare.
So expensive was the ticket that we couldn't attend the show.

 'Such'

 'So + to be + noun ... (that)':

 Such is the moment that all greats traverse.

Such is the stuff of dreams.
Such are the days of our lives.

Inverted Conditional Forms

 Sometimes conditional forms are inverted as a means of sounding more formal. In this case, the
conditional 'if' is dropped and the inverted forms take the place of the 'if clause'.
 Had he understood the problem, he wouldn't have committed those mistakes.
Should he decide to come, please telephone.
Had I known, I would have helped him.

Inversion Quiz/ Rewrite the following sentences using the cue and inversion.

1. I haven't ever felt so lonely. - never

2. I couldn't work because of the loud noise. so
3. She didn't play a lot of basketball. - little
4. Peter didn't understand the situation. If he had, he would have quit. - had
5. The story hasn't been told correctly. - rarely

1. She bought the car after he had explained its benefits. - only after
2. I don't eat pork very often. - seldom
3. I would have bought a new house if I had had enough money. - had
 4. I will sign the check when you finish the work. - only then
5. It was a day that we will all remember forever. - such

Answers

1. Never had I felt so lonely.

2. So loud was the noise that I couldn't work.
3. Little did she play basketball.
4. Had Peter understood the situation, he would have quit.
5. Rarely has the story been told correctly.
6. Only after he had explained its benefits did she buy the car.
7. Seldom do I eat pork.
8. Had I had enough money, I would have bought a new house.
9. Only then will I sign the check.
10. Such was a day that we will all remember forever.

Online exercise: http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/inversion-exercise-1.html

http://fullspate.digitalcounterrevolution.co.uk/efl-advanced-grammar/ecpe-inversions-practice-
questions.html

Grammatical Structures to Use

One of the three criteria on which your Paper 2 writing is going to be assessed is Language. Not only
does it evaluate how accurate you are (that is if there are any mistakes in the texts) but also, and it's even
more important, how wide the range of your vocabulary and grammar is.There is a certain number of
grammatical structures which are considered to be sophisticated enough for the advanced level writing.
What it means is that you are very likely to get a high score for your range of grammar if you make a
good use of these structure. Here they are

1. Emphasis with Inversion

This is when we use inverted word order AUXILIARY VERB + SUBJECT (generally characteristic of
questions) in affirmative sentences to make them sound more emphatic.

You can use inversion after certain 'negative' expression at the beginning of the sentence:
- never / rarely / seldom / never before /
- not until / not since / not for one minute / not even once / at no time
- on no account / under no circumstances/ in no way / on no occasion
- only when / only if / only in this way / only then / only after
- little
- not only ... but also
- scarcely / hardly / barely ...when
- no sooner ....than

Here are some example sentences with the inversion:

Never before had I seen such a professional performance.
Not until it was too late did they see the sign.
Under no circumstances should you let children play with fire.
Little did he realise that he was being watched.
Scarcely had she got home when the phone rang.

You can also use inversion in conditional sentences, which is very common in formal pieces of writing
such as a letter of complaint or apology. What we do is omit 'if' and change the places of the subject and
the predicate.
Should I receive no satisfaction, I will be forced to take matters a step further.
Had he known, he would have made arrangements.

2. Cleft Sentences

This is certain structures that help us emphasise a particular part of a sentence.

- IT IS / WAS + SUBJECT / OBJECT + [THAT / WHO ...]

It is the principal who is responsible for the school budget.
It is for the school budget that the principal is responsible.

- WHAT + SUBJECT + VERB + INFINITIVE

What we need is to address the road congestion issue.

- ALL / THE LAST THING + SUBJECT + VERB + IS / WAS

The last thing people want is encroaching on the suburbs.

3. Participial Clauses

They may be used for the following reasons:

- to link two events in time

- to provide a reason
- instead of a conditional construction.

Opening the door, I saw ... (= when I opened the door...)

Being the richest of us, she paid the bill (= because she was the richest...)
Eaten in small quantities, chocolate is good for our health (= if you eat it in small quantities...)

4. Relative Clauses

Be sure you know how to use both identifying and non-identifying relative clauses.

The person to whom the letter is addressed lives is Moscow.

The roads in the inner city are heavily congested, which is why it may take hours to get to your
workplace.

5. Comparative Structures (Double Comparatives / All the More)

The more absurd it appeared, the more appealing it became.

The lack of any programme for changing the industry is all the more striking given the obstacles that the
likes of John Davis persistently put in their way.