Inversions
“We rarely see such talent at this school”, written as an inversion
"Rarely do we see such talent at this school."
A regretful way to say “I forgot my umbrella, and now I’m wet”
I should have brought my umbrella.
A professional fixed my laptop, made into a causative.
I had my laptop fixed.
Rewrite this sentence using a cleft construction that emphasizes the time:
👉 "Jack met his wife at a concert in 2010."
It was in 2010 that Jack met his wife.
Beyonce showed this in her "SPIRIT" video for the Lion King soundtrack
a. native wildlife
b. geological features
c. cultural heritage
d. remote locations
e. all of the above
e. All of the above
Reasons we use inversions in English
to add emphasis, make writing more formal, or in conditional sentences
The reason we use ‘should have’ in a sentence
to express regret or a missed obligation
When someone arranges for something to be done by someone else, like ‘I had my car repaired.’
Causative
Reason we use cleft sentences
When we want to highlight or add emphasis to a specific part of a sentence.
This K-pop group, known for hits like "Butter" and "Dynamite," is one of the most famous boy bands in the world.
BTS
To form an inversion...
move the auxiliary verb before the subject
The reason we use ‘could have’ in past situations
to talk about missed possibilities
The difference in meaning when using ‘get’ vs. ‘have’ in a causative sentence
Have is more formal
Rearrange this sentence using a cleft structure for emphasis, using "It...is/was..."
👉 "Lena discovered the hidden passage in the library."
"It was Lena who discovered the hidden passage in the library"
This popular battle royale game, where players fight to be the last one standing, includes skins inspired by famous characters and crossovers
Fortnite
Inversions are more common in spoken or written English?
common in formal writing, speeches, and literature to create dramatic effect.
The reason we use ‘would have’ in third conditional sentences
to express hypothetical past events
The difference in meaning when using ‘get’ vs. ‘make’ in these causative sentences:
"I got my brother to help me"
"I made my brother help me"
‘I got my brother to help me,’ means you convinced him.
‘I made my brother help me,’ means you forced him.
Rewrite the sentence using a cleft construction that begins with "The ... it was..."
👉 "Her kindness inspired the entire team."
The thing that inspired the entire team, was her kindness.
This Netflix series about a group of kids in the 1980s fighting supernatural forces in their small town features a creature called the Demogorgon.
Stranger Things
The correct way to rewrite “Only after I arrived, I noticed my mistake”, as an inversion.
Only after I arrived did I notice my mistake.
Whenever a sentence starts with "Only after" + past event, you must invert the subject and auxiliary verb, using "did" for past tense
"He didn’t apologize, so she broke up with him” rewritten as a past conditional sentence
If he had apologized, she wouldn’t have broken up with him.
This sentence is almost correct, but it has a subtle mistake. Identify the error and rewrite it correctly:
👉 "We had the technician to check the server, but the issue wasn’t fixed."
We had the technician check the server, but the issue wasn’t fixed"
(because 'have' in the causative form is followed by the bare infinitive, not 'to' + verb)?
What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences?
👉 "She did complete the assignment."
👉 "It was the assignment that she completed."
1st sentence emphasizes that she actually finished it, possibly contradicting doubt
2nd sentence focuses on what she completed (the assignment, not something else)
This Thai actor gained international fame for his role in "2gether: The Series," a popular BL (Boys' Love) drama.
Bright Vachirawit