Inversion After Negative Adverbials

• CEFR C1
• Grammar
• Printable
• Answer key

Inversion After Negative Adverbials is a printable grammar worksheet for English language learners at CEFR level C1. It covers auxiliary inversion after fronted negative or limiting adverbials, with 5 exercises and an answer key.

We use inversion after negative or limiting adverbials placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis and formal style.

The auxiliary verb comes before the subject: Never have I seen..., Rarely do we find..., Under no circumstances should you...

If there is no auxiliary in a present or past simple sentence, use do, does, or did.

Examples

• Never have I heard such a convincing argument.
• Rarely do reviewers agree so completely.
• Under no circumstances should confidential data be copied.
• Only after the final interview did we understand the problem.
• Not until the audit was complete was the error discovered.
• No sooner had the article appeared than the debate began.
• Hardly had the train left when the storm started.
• Seldom has a policy attracted so much attention.

What's in this worksheet

1. Complete the sentence
2. Correct the mistake
3. Transform the sentence
4. Mixed practice
5. Controlled production

Common mistakes

• Never I have seen such a detailed report.  →  Never have I seen such a detailed report. Invert the auxiliary and subject after fronted never.
• Under no circumstances you should copy the file.  →  Under no circumstances should you copy the file. A modal comes before the subject after this fronted phrase.
• No sooner the meeting had started than the alarm rang.  →  No sooner had the meeting started than the alarm rang. Use had + subject + past participle after no sooner.
• Rarely people realise how complex the issue is.  →  Rarely do people realise how complex the issue is. Use do-support when there is no auxiliary.