Do you know how to use inversion after negative adverbials like Not only, Barely, and Hardly? Enhance your knowledge with a lesson given below and the grammar explanation to guide you better.

Check out these examples to see how inversion is used after negative adverbials:

• Never have I felt so relieved after an exam.

• Not only did she finish the race, but she also set a new record.

• Hardly had he sat down when the meeting began.

Grammar explanation - Inversion after negative adverbials

Inversion means reversing the normal subject–verb word order in a sentence.

We use inversion to add emphasis, especially in formal English. It’s common in speeches or persuasive writing because it creates a strong, impressive effect.

To invert a sentence, we move the adverbial (e.g., never, rarely, not only, etc.) to the beginning of the sentence and change the usual position of the subject and auxiliary verb.

• Not only did they forget to bring the tickets, but they also missed the show. (They not only forgot to bring the tickets, but they also missed the show.)

If there is no auxiliary verb, we add one, such as do for present simple or did for past simple verbs.

• Rarely does the museum open before 10 a.m. (The museum rarely opens before 10 a.m.)

1. Never, rarely, seldom

These adverbials are often used with the present perfect, past perfect, or modal verbs like can and could.

• Never had the town seen such a large celebration.

• Seldom has he been so excited about a project.

• Rarely can one find such excellent craftsmanship.

2. Hardly, barely, scarcely, no sooner

These adverbials refer to an event that happens right after another in the past, and are typically used with the past perfect. Hardly, scarcely, and barely are followed by when in the contrasting clause, while no sooner is followed by than.

• Hardly had we started eating when the power went out.

• Scarcely had the announcement been made when the crowd erupted in applause.

• No sooner had she arrived than the meeting was canceled.

• No sooner was the new policy implemented than it faced opposition.

3. Only + time expression

This includes phrases like only after, only if/when, only then, and only later.

• Only after they reviewed the evidence did they realize the mistake.

• Only later did she understand the significance of the event.

4. Phrases with no and not

This includes phrases such as under no circumstances, on no account, at no time, in no way, on no condition, not until, and not only.

• Under no circumstances should valuables be left unattended.

• In no way did they approve the changes.

5. Little

In these sentences, little has a negative or restrictive meaning.

• Little did anyone know how much work had gone into the preparations. (No one knew how much work had gone into the preparations.)

• Little did he suspect that his invention would change the world. (He didn’t suspect that his invention would change the world.)

Try another grammar lesson