GRAMMAR

FOR TOEFL
INVERTED SUBJECT & VERB,
AND PRACTICE
 CONTENTS
TABLE OF
01 INVERTED SUBJECT
AND VERB

02 PRACTICE
INVERTED
SUBJECT
AND VERB

01
Inverted Subject and Verb

Subjects and verbs are inverted in a variety of When there is no helping verb in the
situations in English. Inverted subjects and verbs occur sentence, the helping verb do is used.
most often in the formation of a question. To form a
question with a helping verb (be, have, can, will, would,
etc.), the subject and helping verb are inverted. ▪ He goes to the movie.
▪ Does he go to the movie?
▪ He can go to the movie.
▪ Can he go to the movie? ▪ You told me the truth.
▪ Did you tell me the truth?
▪ She was sick yesterday.
▪ Was she sick yesterday?
Problem 1. Invert subject and verb with question words

Question words (what, when, where, why, and how) Second, they can join together two clauses, and in
can have two very different functions in a this case the subject and verb that follow are not
sentence. First, they can introduce a question, and inverted.
in this case the subject and verb that follow are
• I don’t know what the homework is.
inverted.
• Do you know where you are going?
• What is the homework?
• Where are you going??
Decide if the following sentences are correct or incorrect
and find a clue that tells you if the subject and the verb
should be inverted or not.

1. How new students can get information about parking?. ____

2. What type of security does he prefer for his investments??. ____

3. Only the pilot can tell you how far can the plane go on one tank of fuel.
____

4. The jury doubts what the witness said under cross-examination. ____

5. Do you know why does he want to take an extended leave of absence?.

____
Problem 2. Invert subject and verb with place expressions

After ideas expressing place, the subject and verb sometimes invert in English. This can happen
with single word expressing place, such as here, there, or nowhere. The subject and verb can also
be inverted after prepositional phrases expressing place.
• Here is the book that you lent me.
• There are the keys that I thought I lost.
• In the closet are the clothes that you want.
• Around the corner is Sam’s house.

It is important to understand that the subject and verb will invert after place expressions at the
beginning of a sentence only when the place expression is necessary to complete the sentence.
• In the forest are many exotic birds.
• In the forest I walked for many hours.
Problem 2. Invert subject and verb with place expressions
Decide if the following sentences are correct or incorrect
and find a clue that tells you if they should be inverted
or not.

1. In the cave was a vast treasure of gems and jewels. ____

2. In the backyard the two trees are that need to be pruned. ____

3. At the Italian restaurant was the food too spicy for my taste. ____

4. Around the corner are the offices that you are trying to find. ____
5. In the apartment next to mine, a man and a woman were having a
heated discussion. ____
Problem 3. Invert the subject and verb with negatives

The subject and verb can also be inverted after certain negatives and related expressions. When
negative expressions, such as no, not, or never, come at the beginning of a sentence, the subject
and verb are inverted.
• Not once did I miss a question.
• Never has Mr. Jones taken a vacation.

Certain words in English, such as hardly, barely, scarcely, and only act like negatives. If one of these
words comes at the beginning of a sentence, the subject and verb are also inverted.
• Hardly ever does he take time off.
• Only once did the manager issue overtime paychecks.

When a negative expression appears in front of a subject and verb in the middle of a sentence, the
subject and verb are also inverted.
• I do not want to go, neither does Tom.
• The secretary is not attending the meeting, nor is her boss.
Problem 3. Invert the subject and verb with negatives
Decide if the following sentences are correct or incorrect
and find a clue that tells you if they should be inverted
or not.

1. Seldom their secretary has made such mistakes. ____

2. Only once in my life gone I have to New York City. ____

3. No sooner had she hung up the phone that it rang again. ____

4. Sheila did not arrive late for work, nor she left early. ____
5. The police did not arrive in time to save the girl, and neither did the
paramedics. ____
Problem 4. Invert the subject and verb with conditionals
In certain conditional structures, the
subject and verb may also be inverted.
This can occur when the helping verb in
the conditional clause is had, should, or
were and the conditional connector “if”
is omitted.
*could cannot be inverted to reduced
conditional/if clauses
• If he had taken more time, the results would have
been better.
• Had he taken more time, the results would have
been better.
• I would help you if I were in a position to help.
• I would help you were I in a position to help.
Decide if the following sentences are correct or incorrect
and find a clue that tells you if they are inverted
correctly or not.

1. Had we been informed of the decision, we might have had something to

say about it. _____

2. I would like to know could you help me pack these boxes. _____
3. There are plenty of blankets in the closet if should you get cold during
the night. _____

4. He might be more successful today were he more willing to do some

hard work. ______

5. If should you ever visit this town again, I would be delighted to show you
around. _____
TOEFL
PRACTICE

02
TOEFL Practice: Part A

2. There are geographic, economic, and

1. Rarely _________ located near city lights or
cultural reasons why ________ around the
at lower elevations.
world.
A. Observatories are
A. Diets differ
B. are
B. Do diets differ
C. In the observatories
C. Are diets different
D. Are observatories
D. To differ a diet

3. Were _________ Millions of dollars each year 4. Potassium has a valence of positive one
replenishing eroding beaches, the coastline would be because it usually loses one electron when
changing even more rapidly. ________ with other elements.
A. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers not spending
B. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers not spend
A. Does it combine
C. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not B. It combines
spend C. In combining
D. Now spending the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers D. combination
TOEFL Practice: Part A
6. _______ test positive for antibiotics when
5. The economic background of labor
tanker trucks arrive at a milk processing plant,
legislation will not be mentioned in this course,
according to federal law, the entire truckload
_______ be treated.
must be discarded.
A. Trade unionism will not
A. Should milk
B. Nor trade unionism will
B. If milk
C. Nor will trade unionism
C. If milk is
D. Neither trade unionism will
D. Milk should

7. Located behind _______ the two lacrimal 8. Only for a short period of time _______ run
glands. at top speed.
A. Each eyelid A. cheetahs
B. Is each eyelid B. Do cheetahs
C. Each eyelid which is C. That a cheetah can
D. Each eyelid are D. can
Summary

Invert subject and (helping) verb: The helping verbs:

1. Question words to introduce a question
1. Do/does and did (if there
2. Place expression in the beginning of are no helping verbs we
sentences (unless the place exp. is use „do’)
unnecessary to complete a sentence) 2. Has/have and had
3. am/are/is and was/were
3. Negative/almost negative expressions in 4. Modals (will, would, should,
the beginning of sentence can, could, etc)
4. If conditionals (with the helping verbs:
had/should/were) and the “IF” is
omitted.
THANK YOU
AND LET’S
DISCUSS