VOA慢速英语--Improve Your Writing with Inversion, Part 1

 

In English, the traditional word order of a statement is subject + verb. Never do we change the order except when asking a question. Or do we?

If you listened closely, you may have noticed that my statement beginning with the word “never” failed to follow the usual order. I put the auxiliary¹ verb “do” before the subject “you” and the main verb “know” after the subject. Using this word order in statements is called “inversion².”

We use inversion to add emphasis to statements and variety to our writing. Inversion can “make[s] our sentence[s] sound surprising or striking or unusual,” writes Seonaid Beckwich. She is founder³ of the website Perfect-English-Grammar.com.

But inversion is not for everyday speech. English speakers use it in formal statements, and most often in writing, such as in essays and works of literature. And, it is only done with some words and phrases.

There are more than 15 types of inversion, but only some are used in academic writing. Today we will show you how to use a few types. When used the right way, inversion can strengthen points and make your writing more memorable⁴. Another reason for learning inversion is that examples appear on the TOEFL, or Test of English as a Foreign Language.

How inversion works

Getting word order right in inversion is important. So, let’s start there. There are two ideas worth remembering:

The first is that many types of inversion use the auxiliary verb + subject + main verb word order. Auxiliary verbs – such as be, do and have -- are verbs that help form a verb tense, mood or voice of main verbs.

The second is that inversion usually puts the thing we want to emphasize at the beginning of the sentence. One example might be the adverb “never” in my earlier statement.

Intro –ED

One type of inversion common both in academic writing and on the TOEFL is starting a statement with the past participle.

In this inversion, the word order is past participle + BE + subject. Listen to the following reading about television viewership in the United States. Then try to find the inversion.

Gone are the days when American families would gather around a television program at its scheduled time. Today’s viewers want to watch their programs on-demand. And, they often binge-watch whole series, whether on cable TV or the Internet.

Did you find the inversion? It begins with the word “Gone.” But that statement has more than one clause in it, which is very common in English. “Gone are the days” is the main clause.

The other is a relative clause: “when American families would gather around a television program at its scheduled time.”

Notice that the relative clause does not use inversion. That is important. Often, statements that use inversion contain more than one clause and only one of the clauses contains inversion.

[GRAPHIC]

You will also notice that there was only one inversion in the example. Inversion is something that you should avoid overusing.

Negative adverbs

Now, let’s move to inversions⁵ involving a negative word or phrase. These are very common in essay writing and on the TOEFL. For these, the negative word or term almost always begins the statement. Think back to my statement with the negative adverb “Never.”

In addition to “never,” you can use inversion with the negative adverbs “rarely,” “seldom,” “hardly” and “scarcely.”

Listen to the following sentence, a factual statement one might find in an essay:

Punishment is rarely severe for attackers who are found guilty.

It is a well-written statement that does not use inversion. But if we wanted to note how rare it is for attackers to be punished severely⁶, we could move the negative adverb “rarely.” Listen for the inversion in this reworded statement:

Rarely is punishment severe for attackers who are found guilty.

Putting “rarely” first makes the point more striking.

Notice also that there are two clauses in this statement, and the relative clause “who are found guilty” does not use inversion.

Negative phrases

In addition to negative adverbs, there are also many negative phrases that use inversion. Some examples are phrases like “not only…but also” “not until” and “not since.” Unlike for negative adverbs, which can go anywhere in a sentence, for some negative phrases, inversion is a requirement, not a choice.

Now, let’s look at “not only…but also.” It often uses inversion, but that is only required when the “not only” part begins the statement.

Using “Not only…but also” shows that something has more than one quality or has done more than one action, where the action or quality after “but also” is especially notable.

In academic writing, this phrase can be effective for making an argument. Here’s an example in a persuasive⁷ essay about automobiles⁸:

There are a number of advantages to owning a hybrid⁹ car. Not only do hybrids¹⁰ run cleaner than gasoline, but they also have better gas mileage¹¹. And those are just the environmental benefits. Other benefits, such as tax credits and a higher resale value, are financial.

The statement with “not only…but also” uses inversion in the first clause, “Not only do hybrids run cleaner than gasoline.” And it follows the auxiliary verb + subject + main verb construction. The negative phrase “not only” appears first, followed by “do,” then the subject “hybrid cars” then the main verb “run.”

In the second clause, which has “but also,” there is no inversion. This is the structure to follow when using inversion for “not only…but also.”

[GRAPHIC]

Something to note about the wording: The word “also” can be left out completely or replaced with “too” at the end of the statement.

Using inversion can be difficult for English learners. But it is useful in adding emphasis and variety to academic writing.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

emphasis – n. a forceful quality in the way something is said or written

auxiliary verb – n. a verb that is used with another verb to show the verb's tense, to form a question

variety – n. the quality or state of having or including many different things

formal – adj. suitable for serious or official speech and writing

mood – n. a quality that creates a particular feeling

viewership – n. the audience for a particular television program or channel

binge-watch – v. watch multiple episodes of a television program in rapid succession

clause – n. a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb

hybrid – adj. something that is formed by combining two or more things

1 auxiliary   

adj.辅助的，备用的

参考例句：

• I work in an auxiliary unit.我在一家附属单位工作。
• The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of blackout.这家医院装有备用发电系统以防灯火管制。

2 inversion   

n.反向，倒转，倒置

参考例句：

• But sometimes there is an unusual weather condition called a temperature inversion.但有时会有一种被称作“温度逆增”的不平常的天气状态。
• And finally,we made a discussion on the problems in the cooperative inversion.最后，对联合反演中存在的问题进行了讨论。

3 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

4 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

5 inversions   

倒置( inversion的名词复数 )； （尤指词序）倒装； 转化； （染色体的）倒位

参考例句：

• Chromosome breaks may also lead to inversions and translocations. 染色体破裂也可能引起倒位与易位。
• The males suspected to have induced inversions were later used to build up stocks. 疑有诱发倒位的雄性然后用于建立原种。

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

8 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

10 hybrids   

n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 )；杂交植物（或动物）；杂种；（不同事物的）混合物

参考例句：

• All these brightly coloured hybrids are so lovely in the garden. 花园里所有这些色彩鲜艳的杂交花真美丽。 来自辞典例句
• The notion that interspecific hybrids are rare is ill-founded. 有一种看法认为种间杂种是罕见的，这种看法是无根据的。 来自辞典例句

11 mileage   

n.里程，英里数；好处，利润

参考例句：

• He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
• What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？