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INVERSION

Generally speaking, inversion is the generic name given to any deviation from the
established rules of modern English usage concerning the word order in different types of
sentences. According to such outlook, therefore, any movement of one part of the
sentence from the place attributed to it by the respective rules of language usage can be
called inversion and we have already pointed out that such a change of position results in
some emphasis laid on the respective part of speech. If, on the other hand we take in
consideration the relatively free variation in the position of some parts of speech such as
the adverbials of indefinite time or of the indirect and direct objects, then we should
restrict ourselves to calling inversion only those cases which are either imposed or
recommended by grammatical rules which is the case of grammatical inversion, or are
the result of ones subjective desires and intentions adding modality to the
communication, and which are called stylistic inversion.
A subclassification of inversion is in partial inversion which only affects the
position of the subject and of the respective auxiliary verb, and in total inversion which
also affects the position of other parts of the sentence.
In the light of the above, partial inversion corresponds almost entirely to
grammatical inversion being governed by restrictive grammatical rules, while total
inversion is a case of stylistic inversion which being connected with modality is the result
of peoples emotions and feelings that cause people to deviate from the rules.
In the sentence, therefore, grammatical inversion brings minimal changes in its
initial part alone while stylistic inversion may occur in various places of the sentence.
On the other hand, one should keep in mind that certain deviations from the rules
of word order such as placing of the indirect object represented by a pronoun after the
transitive verb, e.g. I gave him the book, or placing adjectives after the qualified noun and
prepositions in final position is neither grammatical nor stylistic inversion. They are just
examples of language usage in its manifold variety.

Grammatical Inversion

Function of the classification of English sentences from the point of view of their
semantic (as well as logical and psychological) content into Declarative, Interrogative,
Imperative and Exclamatory, one has the following cases of grammatical inversion:
Declarative sentences
a) In sentences or clauses which confirm that a second subject repeats an affirmative
action performed by the subject of a previous sentence or clause or he is in a
similar state in the affirmative, the usual pattern with inversion is: so + auxiliary
verb + subject.
She likes travelling a lot and so do I.
He can play the piano. So can Lucy.
They are leaving tomorrow. So is Lucy.
b) A confirmation in the negative of a negative action or state in a previous sentence
is made with: neither + auxiliary + subject
She doesnt like travelling. Neither do I/does John/do we.
She shouldnt go there so often. Neither should Peter.
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c) When the parallel action or state does not refer to the subject but to some other
element in the sentence, the usual pattern is: nor + auxiliary+ subject + notional
verb.
He didnt call Jane up yesterday. Nor did he call me, for that matter.
You didnt meet Jane last weekend, did you? No, I didnt. And nor have I
called her up since then.
d) Another case of partial inversion is the presence of the introductory subjects
there, here (with an exclamatory function) and it (with an introductory and
emphatic function) in front of the predicate verb, while the meaningful subject
proper may take different postpositions in the sentence, e.g.:
There/Here comes John! (There he comes!)
It is John who did it.
Similarly, in the constructions there is/there are, there alone functions as a half-
subject as part of the meaningful subject which follows the verb to be:
In a far corner of the room there was seated a complete stranger.
It is to be noted, however, that in stages directions and elliptic written or oral
English, there is omitted:
Before us is the Salesmans house Before the house lies an apron, curving
beyond the forestage into the orchestra. (A. Miller - Death of a Salesman)
Kunta jerked around. There, hanging from a peg, was a brand new dundiko
blouse worn by negro slaves. (Alex Haley - Roots)
The first to emerge was a young and highly indignant green mamba, reputedly
the most deadly smoke in Africa. (Gerald Durell Fillets of Plaice)
In declarative conditional subordinate clauses one can operate inversion in all
three types of conditional sentences, as follows:
a) in clauses of real condition which employ the modal auxiliary should to express
lack of probability in the future, one can also invert the places of the anomalous
finite should and of the subject:
Should you/ Were you (to) find him, tell him
b) in conditional clauses putting an impossible condition, the auxiliary had may take
a front position on place 0:
If he had come earlier,
Had he come earlier,
An interesting form of inversion is given in R. Quirks A Comprehensive
Grammar of the English Language, Language 1992, p. 1382:
Even had the building been open, we would not have entered.
It is to be noted that with negative conditional or concessive clauses, one does not
use contracted forms of the respective auxiliaries.
Interrogative Sentences
Apart from the usual partial inversion in the case of interrogative and
interrogative-negative sentences with an auxiliary of tense, aspect voice or mood taking
zero position, mention should be made of the special questions whose subject is
expressed by the interrogative pronouns who, what and which/which of them, in which
case no inversion is made:
What happened? What is happening here?
Halt! Who goes there?
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Which (of them) is the best?
Imperative Sentences
In the first and third persons of imperative sentences, the presence of the auxiliary
let in front of the accusative form of the respective pronouns or proper names discharging
a subject-like function is also considered a form of inversion:
Let me/let him/let John/let us/let them go!
Exclamatory Sentences
In exclamatory sentences expressing wishes, urges, slogans or religious
benedictions, inversion is represented either by the subjunctive present form of the verb:
Long live peace! or by the modal auxiliary may in 0 position: May God be with you! May
you long live!/ Long may you live.
Finally, grammatical inversion is also present in certain idiomatic expressions
such as in:
Far be it from me to consider him guilty of any crime.
And so be it!
Stylistic Inversion

Stylistic inversion, as is well known, is one of the means of modality to express
either intentionally or unintentionally ones emphatic opinions or powerful feelings in
connection with different parts of the sentence. With the observation that sometimes
stylistic inversion may be interpreted as grammatical inversion as well, here are some
instances of stylistic inversion:
1) Placing an adverbial modifier in initial position which is not its usual position is
a rather frequent case of inversion, with the subject also following the predicate:
Turning round, on the other side of the terrace, under a caper-bush that hung like
a blood-stain from the grey wall above her, stood a little grey woman whose
fingers were busy. (D. H. Lawrence The Spinner and the Monks)
Back comes the truant, back to the old doom of matter, of corporate existence, of
the body sullen and stubborn and obstinate refusing to be transmuted into pure
light, pure colour, or pure anything. (D.H. Lawrence Writing and Painting)
And with the kindling from the torch of revelation comes the inrush of vitality, and
the need to consume and consummate the lower cycles of existence, into a new
thing.
2) The direct object may appear at the beginning of a sentence, with an emphatic
result:
Talent, Mr. Micawber has: money, Mr. Micawber has not. (C. Dickens, David
Copperfield)
A horse, a kingdom for a horse. (William Shakespeare, Richard III)
On other occasions the direct object in front position is preceded by many a and
not a:
And many a friend did I ask for help to no avail.
Not a stone has he left unturned in his desperate search for the truth.
3) The predicative is sometimes placed in front position for purposes of emphasis:
Such was the situation, they couldnt refuse him.
4) Some adverbial modifiers of place can take initial position for purposes of
emphasis, a case in which the subject expressed by a noun goes to place II:
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Fleas must be as partial to him, he said, as they are to me. There it is again,
trying to make up for last time! and out went Alberts leg. (George Moore - Alfred
Nobbs)
It is to be noted that such an inversion is not possible if the subject is expressed by
a pronoun: and out it went.
5) Negative, half-negative, restrictive or frequency adverbial modifiers, when placed
at the beginning of a sentence bring about inversion between the subject and the
respective auxiliary pertaining to the predicative verb:
So absurd was his proposal that everyone stared in disbelief.
Not without shame and regret did he admit of his guilt.
Little did I know.
Not till then did he
Not only was the car old, but also its price was exaggerated.
Never have I seen such a disaster!
Hardly/Scarcelywhen
No soonerthan
6) There are cases when the subject takes the last position in the sentence, again for
emphatic purposes at the beginning of the sentence:
And first on the list, as is but usual with him, was the honourable Mr. Smith!
7) The verb to say and other verbs are frequently employed in literature in front of
its subject to quote somebodys speech. In current speech or in journalistic
accounts such inversion is even used at the beginning of a sentence:
That was a narrow escape! said Alice, a good deal frightened at the sudden
change
Would it be of any use, now, thought Alice, to speak to this mouse.