Negative adverbials followed by an inverted verb 3
Which ones? Very few! The ones below are typical:
-
Not only …..also
-
On no account
-
Under no circumstances
-
No longer
-
At no point / stage
-
Rarely / Seldom
-
Never before
Why?
- to give greater emphasis to a statement
- to make language more formal
What happens next?
If they are placed first in sentences or clauses, the verb is inverted:
-
Only now do I understand what she meant.
-
Not once did he attempt to speak to me.
Now what?
Sometimes you no longer need certain words:
-
I would definitely not accept a job with such low pay. (on no account….)
-
On no account would I (definitely) accept a job with such low pay.
-
I met Mrs Robinson from down the road. She can talk the hind legs off a donkey.(Boy...)
-
I met Mrs Robinson from down the road. Boy, can she talk (the hind legs off a donkey)!