In this podcast of advanced English grammar we are going to teach you how you can break all the rules to add emphasis. If you are a rebel, therefore, you’re going to love this class… using the present simple affirmative in new ways, reversing the present continuous, this podcast has it all.
In advanced English you can change the normal word order in order to make the sentence more dramatic. This is especially true in written and dramatic advanced English. You can do this with…
1. Negative adverb expressions: Not only, Never, Not until, No sooner (syn. as soon as.)
When using this form you have to change the order through inversion.
- Never have I heard such foolishness.
- Not only did you sleep with my husband but you fired me too.
Be careful with the role of the auxiliary verb in present and past simple.
- Not only do you think you’re the boss, but you’re a total snob.
Also be careful with ‘not until’ because the inversion comes with the second verb when there are two. This is because there is a condition attached.
- Not until you make your first million dollars will you know happiness.
2. Only the, hardly, scarcely, only when, rarely
- Rarely has such a handsome teacher existed as Lynch.
- Only when you have a teacher like Lynch do you realize how ugly Irish men are.
Notice that with ‘Only when’ the inversion comes with the second verb when there is a conditional aspect to the sentence.
Okay, thanks for attending this class of advanced grammar. See you next week.
