REFERENCE AND PRACTICE
Some people have argued that it is important to ban mobile
phones from schools.
➝ It has been argued that it is important to ban mobile
phones from schools.
Educationalists claim that mobile phones should be banned
from schools.
➝ It is claimed that mobile phones should be banned from
schools.
1 Report the statements using impersonal report
structures and starting with the words given. In some
cases, only one structure is possible.
1 Some parents think that young people are spending too
much time staring at a screen.
Young people           .
It           .
2 People generally consider that the Internet has
improved our lives in many important ways.
The Internet           .
It           .
3 Surveys have reported that eighty-five percent of
teenagers watch at least one music video every day.
Eighty-five percent           .
It           .
4 We know that technology has been changing the way
students approach their schoolwork at home.
Technology           .
It           .
5 Educationalists believe that overuse of the Internet is
reducing students’ attention span.
Overuse           .
It           .
6 Some teachers have argued that less emphasis should
be placed on digital tools in education.
It           .
7 They fear that misinformation, pseudo-facts,
unsupported opinions and the like are too easily
available on the Internet.
Misinformation           .
It           .
2 Complete the sentences using the words in brackets.
Do not change the order of the words given but add
any other words necessary.
1                     (it/often/claim) that the world has
become too dependent on the Internet.
2 Three hackers                    (presume/breach)
a sophisticated computer security system for months.
3 Teenagers                     (assume/be) the most
proficient users of the Internet within the family.
4                     (it/hope/technology) can improve
rather than hinder the growth of literacy.
5 More and more elderly people nowadays                   I have never experienced such extreme temperatures.
(say/get) to grips with social media.
9.3 Inversion after adverbials
When we want to emphasise a word, phrase or clause in English,
we can do this by bringing it to the front of a sentence. This is
frequently done with negative or limiting adverbials in order to
make a sentence seem more dramatic or emphatic.
When negative or limiting adverbials are placed at the start of a
sentence, the usual word order of subject + verb is inverted and
we follow the same word order as that used for most questions.
Adverbial + auxiliary do/does/did + subject +
verb (base form)
The devastation after the earthquake was terrible. We rarely
see such complete destruction after earthquakes!
➝ Rarely do we see such complete destruction after earthquakes!
Adverbial + auxiliary have/has/had + subject +
verb (past participle)
In our judgement, the aid agencies collaborated extremely
well. We have never witnessed cooperation as successful as
this before.
➝ Never before have we witnessed cooperation as
successful as this.
Adverbial + modal auxiliary + subject + verb
The mudslide covered the village. We could never go there again.
➝ Never could we go there again.
Adverbial + is/was + subject
I’m worried. Where is he? He is never so late!
➝ Never is he so late!
Little with negative use, neither
Little is usually used with verbs to do with thinking and
knowing, such as: believe, expect, imagine, know, realise,
think, understand.
We didn’t realise what effect the announcement would have.
➝ Little did we realise what effect the announcement would have.
Neither is usually used with nor.
We wanted neither the book nor the CD.
➝ Neither the book nor the CD did we want.
NB
When little and neither are used to qualify the subject of the
verb, there is no inversion.
Little information was available on the subject.
Neither he nor I understood what was said.
Negative adverbs showing frequency – never,
rarely, seldom
These adverbs are straightforward in their use. They are simply
moved to the front position in the sentence when we want to be
more emphatic, and followed by an inverted subject and verb.
We rarely attend the meetings.
➝ Rarely do we attend the meetings.
➝ Never have I experienced such extreme temperatures.
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GRAMMAR AND LANGUAGE IN FOCUS
He could seldom bring up the topic of recycling at our weekly Hardly/barely/scarcely + when
meetings. These adverbs are frequently used for dramatic effect in past
➝ Seldom could he bring up the topic of recycling at our narratives. In this case, we usually use the Past Perfect.
weekly meetings.
As soon as the storm ended, the flood waters subsided.
Seldom and rarely can be modified by very. ➝ Hardly/Barely/Scarcely had the storm ended when the
➝ Very rarely do we attend the meetings. flood waters subsided.
➝ Very seldom could he bring up the topic of recycling at our
No sooner + than
weekly meetings.
It is also used with Past Perfect for dramatic effect.
Adverbial phrases containing not As soon as the storm ended, the flood waters subsided.
not until, not for a/one moment, not since, not a word ➝ No sooner had the storm ended than the flood waters
I didn’t realise how much damage it had caused in our area subsided.
until the flooding subsided.
➝ Not until the flooding subsided did I realise how much
damage it had caused in our area. 1 Write the second sentence so that it has a similar
We didn’t think, not even for a moment, of giving up hope meaning to the first. Begin with the words given.
after the deadly earthquake. 1 We could never have imagined that so many people
➝ Not for a moment did we think of giving up hope after the would support building flood barriers.
deadly earthquake. Little           
There hasn’t been such a disaster in this area since I was a little    .
child. 2 There was no other way we could guard against flooding.
➝ Not since I was a little child has there been such a disaster Only           
in this area.    .
Adverbial phrases containing no 3 The downpour started outside as soon as the decision
at no time, in no way, under/in no circumstances, on no to build was reached.
account/condition/occasion, etc. No sooner           
No one else must be told.    .
➝ On no account must anyone else be told. 4 We reached home just before the water started to rise.
You aren’t allowed to come close to the disaster area for any Scarcely          
reason.    .
➝ Under no circumstances are you allowed to come close to 5 It wasn’t until we looked out of the windows that we
the disaster area. realised how high the water was.
We weren’t made aware at any time that an earthquake could Only when          
strike soon.    .
➝ At no time were we made aware that an earthquake could 6 It had not only flooded the road outside but was starting
strike soon. to come into the garden.
Not          
Adverbial phrases with only
   .
not only … but …, only when, only after, only later, only once,
7 We were definitely not able to stay in the house.
only then, only in this way, only by ...ing, only by chance
Under          
We were late and we had forgotten our tickets!
   .
➝ Not only were we late, but we had also forgotten our tickets!
8 Just as we made the decision to leave, the police arrived
NB in a boat.
When not only qualifies a noun subject, we do not invert the Hardly           
subject and the verb.    .
Not only the sun, but also water and wind can produce power. 9 It’s not often that I’ve felt so worried!
Inversion usually occurs directly after the time phrase. If the Seldom           
time phrase is a clause containing a verb, then the inversion    .
occurs in the second part of the sentence. 10 But we were lucky when we returned. The house hadn’t
Only then did they contribute to the Save the Wolves fund. been flooded, nor had the garage.
Only after they had watched the documentary, did they But we were lucky when we returned. Neither            
contribute to the Save the Wolves fund.
   .

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 REFERENCE AND PRACTICE
9.4 Extra it
We can use it as a preparatory object after certain verbs and
where the actual object of the verb is a clause or an infinitive:
• hate/like/love + it + when/that clause
I hate it when my sister runs the washing machine with half
a load of laundry – it’s such a waste of water and energy!
Robert doesn’t like it that cycle lanes in our city are not
continuous and are often interrupted by bus stops.
I absolutely love it that since 2010 a large part of the town
centre has been closed to motorised vehicles.
• would appreciate + it + if clause
We would appreciate it if you started sorting your rubbish
into recyclable materials and general waste.
A lot of people in our city would appreciate it if the local
authorities made more effort to reduce traffic congestion
in the city centre.
• leave/owe + it + to sb + to infinitive
We can’t leave it to politicians to solve the world’s
environmental problems.
We owe it to future generations to ensure we spend
enough tax money on green energy alternatives.
• consider/find/think + it + adjective/noun/prepositional
phrase + that clause/to infinitive
I consider it a necessity that children learn about the
environment by interacting with it from an early age.
(noun + that clause)
I find it hard to accept that neither politicians nor
environmentalists can be relied upon to fight climate
change. (adjective + to infinitive)
We thought it strange that a leaflet promoting recycling
was not printed on recycled paper. (adjective + that clause)
• take + it + that clause with the meaning of assume that
I take it that they won’t demolish the building until they
gain planning permission from the city council.
We take it that the next step is to ensure that all the changes
to the manufacturing process are environmentally friendly.
1 Find an error in each sentence and correct it.
1 We owe it to ourselves and the next generations
protecting the environment against further degradation.
         
2 We would appreciate it when the local community took
more interest and participated in environmental projects.
         
3 Some large corporations and small companies don’t
really find it easy follow recycling laws and regulations.
4 The meeting’s participants agreed to leave to the
environmental commission to decide how to bring water
pollution under stricter control.
2 Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar
meaning to the first. Use between three and six words
including the word in capitals.
1 Could you display a ‘Vote Green Party’ poster in your
window? We’d be very grateful. APPRECIATE
We                             a ‘Vote Green Party’
poster in your window.
2 I am of the opinion that banning traffic in city centres is
unnecessary. THINK
I                              traffic in city centres.
3 The council should be responsible for keeping the
beaches in our area clean. LEAVE
We should                              keep the
beaches in our area clean.
4 Accepting that our recycling scheme has failed to gain
the support of the local authorities is difficult for us. FIND
We                             our recycling scheme
has failed to gain the support of the local authorities.
5 I can’t stand people throwing rubbish in the street or out
of car windows. HATE
I                             rubbish in the street or out
of car windows.
6 We assume that the environmental committee will address
the use of energy, raw materials and water waste. TAKE
We                              the environmental
committee will address the use of energy, raw materials
and water waste.
7 In my opinion, expanding a business during an
economic recession is risky. CONSIDER
I                             a business during an
economic recession.
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