Lecture 15 Inversion 倒装

Lecture Fourteen InversionI.Definition and classificationInversion here refers to the word order in sentences that runs against the normal/natural one, for example, (A)VS instead of SV(A), PSV instead of SVP etc.English Inversion may be classified into 1)structurally, Partial Inversion and Complete Inversion:e.g. 1) May our friendship live long!Not a single book had he read that month.At no time must this door be left open.c.f.Up went the flag.She was angry and so was I.Here comes my brother.and 2)functionally, Grammatical Inversion and Rhetorical Inversion, which will be discussed below.II. Grammatical Inversion, required by grammar rulesed in Interrogative Sentencese.g. Are you going on a diet?Do you write good English?What are you looking for?How can you be so rude to her?ed in Exclamatory Sentencese.g. What a tall building it is!How beautiful the flowers are!ed in Existential Sentencese.g. There is a gentleman asking to see you.*** c.f. How many boys are (there) in the classroom?What is (there) on the desk?ed in sentences expressing wish or concessione.g. Long live our beloved motherland!May you both be happy.Old as she is, she never stops learning.ed in clauses expressing unreal conditions without the use of “if”e.g. Had they arrived earlier, they would have caught the bus.Were it to happen / Should it happen, it will cause a great deal of trouble.ed in clauses beginning with so, nor/neither indicating the same condition/in the foregoing clausee.g. He might fail and so might he.I don’t know, nor do I careI can’t speak French. ---- Nor can I.My brother is ill this week. --- So is my sister.*** c.f. Bill smokes too much. --- So he does (Yes, indeed. He smokes too much.)III. Rhetorical Inversion, for some rhetorical effected in sentences beginning with adverbs expressing time, place, position,frequency, manner, etc. for emphasis, exclamation, etc.e.g. Now comes your turn.There comes the bus!Here is your change!Up jumped two large boys.Away went the car like a whirlwind.Out rushed the man and his wife.Often had I intended to speak of it.Loud and clear rang the bell.Bang! bang! bang! came three reports of guns.(* onomatopoeic words)Click-click went the weaving loom. (* onomatopoeic words)*** When the subject is a pronoun, the SV order is required.e.g. There he comes!Out he ran!ed in sentences beginning with prepositional phrases, for emphasis, smoothtransition, etc.e.g. Before him stood the strong tall man.From the dark corner arose a poorly dressed old man.Back into the room ran the little boy.On the hill stands a castle.In the cottage lived a family of six.ed in sentences beginning with adjectives(predicative), for vividness,emphasis, smooth transition, etc.e.g. Green is the mountain and blue is the sea.His face was stony and even stonier was the tone of his voice.ed in sentences beginning with the objects(nouns), for emphasis, smoothtransition, etc.e.g. Many and many things has he had to do.Greater efforts should we make to improve our teaching.Not a finger did I lay on him.ed in the Adverbial Clause of Manner or Concession introduced by ase.g. They go to concerts frequently, as do their parents.She travelled a lot, as did most of her friends.Terrible as was the storm, we continued our way.Pitch-dark as was the night, I still found my way home.*** When the subject is not a noun but a pronoun, the normal/natural order is used. e.g. Poor as he was, he was honest.ed in the Reporting Clause when its subject is in need of emphasis or istoo longe.g. “What do you mean?”asked Henry.“Who’s paying?”shouted the fat man at the counter.*** In news reports, the Reporting Clause at the beginning of the sentence is often inverted.e.g. Says Craig Sparks, chairman of the committee, “We have raised about$ 1500, which will help a lot.”ed in sentences beginning with negative words/phrases/clause (adverbial)such as: little, never, seldom, rarely, not until, nowhere, in no way, in no case, at no time, by no means, under no circumstances, neither, nor, not only …but (also), no sooner … than, hardly … when, scarcely… when/before, etc.e.g. Little does he care whether we live or die.Hardly had I left the place when the trouble started.Scarcely had he finished the paper when/before the bell rang.Not for the world would he let his children go hungry.Never before had so many people gathered on the square.Not until he had made sure of the news did he announce it.We were lucky, for no sooner had we returned home than it began to rain. Not only is he good at basketball, but also at other sports.Not only did he dislike the way she spoke, but he also disapproved of the way she dressed.ed in sentences beginning with only …, so(a./ad.)…(that), at such length(s)/ to such a degree / to such an extent … (that), for emphasise.g. Only then did I understand what he meant.Only in this part of the city will the police find the criminal.So hard did he work that he soon felt tired.To such length did he go on with his speech that most of us began to doze off.To such an extent / To such a degree was the car damaged that it could not be repaired.。