Inversion is a violation of the usual word order in a sentence for emotional release important information.

For example.

• Seldom have I eaten at suc h an expensive restaurant. (Rarely have I eaten in such expensive restaurants).
• Compare with normal word order: I have seldom eaten at such an expensive restaurant. (I rarely eat at such expensive restaurants)

#2 When is inversion applied?

Very often, inversion is used in the literature for a more colorful description of events.
For example. Away flew the birds. (The birds flew away) instead of the usual word order - The birds flew away.

#3 Ways to invert

There are two ways to invert the subject (noun) and predicate (verb).

#3.1 The first way.

Design be/have/modal verb/auxiliary verb + subject + main verb used in the following cases:

• a) after the following words or expressions when they appear at the beginning of a sentence:

seldom - rarely
rarely - rarely
little - little
barely - barely
nowhere (else) - nowhere (more)
never (before) - never (before)
not (even) once - not (even) once
on no account - under no circumstances
only by - only (to, through ...)
only in this way - only in this way
only then - only then
hardly (ever) ... when - hardly ... when
no sooner ... than - not earlier ... than / only ...
not only ... but (also) - not only ... but also
not until/till - until/only after/only
in no way - in no way / in no way
in / under no circumstances - under no circumstances / under no circumstances

• Never (before) have I heard such wonderful music. (Never before have I heard such beautiful music)
• Not only did they buy the house for their children but they (also) redecorated it. (They not only bought a house for their children, but also renovated it)
• Seldom do I go out since I started working for this company. (Rarely have I taken a walk since I started working for this company)
• BUT! I seldom go out since I started working for this company. (I rarely walk since I started working for this company) There is no inversion here, since seldom not at the beginning of a sentence.

Note that when the only after expressions (only after), only by (only(thanks, using, etc.)), only if(only if), only when(only when), not until / till (not before / only when) are at the beginning of the sentence, then inversion, i.e. reverse word order, used in the main clause.

Only if you work hard will you have a success . (Only if you work hard will you succeed.)

Only when he enters the University will we go to the Bahamas . (We will go to the Bahamas only when he goes to university)

• b) with the words so, neither, nor, as to express agreement.

• "I love comedies." "So do I "("I love comedy." "Me too" - we use the word so when we agree with the affirmative statement)
• "I don't like horror movies" Neither/Nor do I "(I don't like horror movies." "Me too" - we use the words neither, nor when agreeing with a negative statement)
• Masha was a talented artist, as was her sister / and so was her sister . (Masha was a talented artist, like her sister / and her sister too)

• c) with the words should, were, had when they are at the beginning of a conditional clause (if-clause) instead of if .

Type 1. Should Peter come, tell him to wait. (=If Peter should come...) - If Peter comes, tell him to wait.

Type 2. Were I you, I wouldn't go there alone. (= If I were you...) - If I were you, I wouldn't go there alone. (If I were you...)

Type 3. Had Katya been told, she would have completed the task earlier. (= If Katya had been told...) - If Katya had been told, she would have completed the task earlier.

#3.2 The second way.

The main verb+subject construct is used in the following cases:

• a) after verbs of motion or adverbs of place when they are at the beginning of a sentence.

• In front of the building was a bus. (There was a bus in front of the building)
• In the cafe played an old music . (Old music was playing in the cafe)
• Here comes the winner ! (And here's the winner!)

If the subject is expressed by a personal pronoun, then there is no inversion in the sentence.

For example. Here he comes! (And here he is!)

• b) in direct speech, when the noun is the subject of the introductory verb (the introductory verb is a semantic verb that is used to translate direct speech into indirect).

For example. "I don" t like this film" said Peter. (I don't like this film. - Said Peter)

BUT! "How can I help you?" he asked. (How can I help? - she asked. We cannot put inversion in this case, since the subject is expressed by a personal pronoun)

The standard word order in English affirmative sentences is subject first, then verb-predicate.

However, in certain situations, we want to emphasize a certain word or expression in a sentence, or give this sentence more emotional sound. To this end, we can use the so-called inversion.

Inversion is a violation of the usual word order in a sentence: first comes the predicate (auxiliary or modal verb, adverb, etc.), then the subject.

Inversion after a negative adverb

If at the beginning of a sentence you see a negative adverb (never, nowhere, not only, etc), it means that it will probably be followed by inversion.

I had never seen so many people in one room. (standard word order)
Never had I seen so many people in one room. (inversion)

The formula for the formation of inversion in English looks like this:

Adverb + auxiliary verb + subject + other parts of the sentence

And now let's look at what negative adverbs are in English:

1) Adverbs with particle not.

not until I see it with my own eyes will I believe what he said. - Bye I not I'll see it with my own eyes I don't believe to what he said.

not until he apologises will I speak to him again. - Until he apologizes I won't talk to him.

Not since I was little have I had so much fun. “I haven’t had this much fun since childhood.

The auxiliary verb do can often be used in this construction.

Not for one minute do I imagine they "ll come back. - I can't imagine them coming back.

2) Adverbs with only.

In this group of adverbs, inversion can be used both in the main and in the subordinate clause.

Only after several weeks did she begin to recover. - Only later few weeks she started get better.

Only later did she realize what happened. - Only later did she realize what happened.

Only then did he remember he hadn't got his keys. - Only then did he realize that he has no keys.

Only in the last week has he started feel better. - Only this week he started feel better.

Only after the phone call did she calm down. - Only after phone call she calmed down.

Only later did I realize how important it was. - Only then did I realize how important it was.

Only then did I remember that I had forgotten to feed my cat. - Only then did I remember forgot to feed the cat.

Only when I have called him will I be able to think about anything else. - Only when I will call him I can think of something else.

Only by patience and hard work will we find a solution. - Only patience and diligence we can find a solution.

Only in this way do we stand any chance of success. - Only in this case we have a chance of success.

3) Adverbs of frequency of action (hardly / barely / scarcely - hardly, never - never, rarely / seldom - rarely, no sooner ... than - did not have time ... how).

In these examples, inversion is used immediately after the adverb.

Never have I seen such a beautiful child. - Never have I seen such a beautiful child.

Hardly ever does she come in time. - Rarely does she come in time.

Barely have we agreed with him. - Hardly we are with him agreed.

Seldom do they fail to impress their neighbours. - Rarely do they fail impress the neighbors.

No sooner had they entered the mseum than the excursion began. - They didn't get in to the museum, as the tour began.

4) Adverb little with a negative meaning.

In this construction, the inversion will come immediately after the adverb.

Little do they realize how lucky they are to have such a great friend. - They don't understand well How lucky they are to have such a good friend.

Little did I suspect that he would leave his job one day. - I didn't suspect that someday he will quit his job.

5) Other expressions with adverbs (at no time / in no way / on no account - never, in any way, in any case, under / in no circumstances - under no circumstances).

Under no circumstance can we accept the offer. - Under no circumstances we cannot accept this offer.

On no account are you to repeat this to anyone. - No way you must not repeat this to anyone.

In no way should this be regarded as an end of the matter. - no way this should not be taken as the end of the case.

At no time did she complain about her problems. - Never she did not complain about her problems.

Under no circumstance are parents allowed to leave their children alone. - Under no circumstances parents are not allowed to leave their children alone.

Remember that inversion makes our speech more formal. That is why, when writing various essays, she will immediately attract attention and will be appreciated by the inspectors. But, like any other grammatical construction, you should not use inversion without understanding this difficult phenomenon properly.

Inversion with modal verb May

We use modal verb inversion May when we want something. We will translate such a sentence in the future tense using the words “let”, “yes”.

May all your dreams come true. - May all your dreams come true.

May the force be with you. - Let the force be with you.

Inversion in comparative turns

Inversion often occurs in comparisons after conjunctions as(how), than(how). This phenomenon is characteristic of the literary style.

He is very active as are the most boys of his age. - He is very active like most boys his age.

People who live in the country know nature better than do city dwellers. – Villagers are more familiar with nature, how urban.

Inversion in conditional sentences

Inversion can be found in all types of conditional sentences, with the exception of the zero conditional. To do this, we bring the auxiliary verb to the first place and remove the "if".

The first type of conditional sentences:

In the first type of conditional sentences, there may be an inversion with the modal verb should, which will be translated as “suddenly”, “happen”.

If I should come early, I will fill the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. → Should I come early, I will fill the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
If suddenly I I will come early, I'll make a turkey for thanksgiving dinner. → happen to me come before, I'll make a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

The second type of conditional sentences:

In the second type of conditional sentences, the verb were (for all persons) acts as an auxiliary verb.

If he had more free time, he would travel a lot. → Were he to have more free time, he would travel a lot.
If he had more free time, he would travel a lot. → Be he has more free time, he would travel a lot.

If in the second type of conditional sentence to be acts as the main and auxiliary verbs, then we use it only once at the beginning of the sentence.

If I were a millionaire, I would have many hospitals and nursery schools built. → Were I a millionaire, I would have many hospitals and nursery schools built.
If I was a millionaire, I would have built many hospitals and kindergartens. → be me millionaire, I would build many hospitals and kindergartens.

the third type of conditional sentences:

In the third type of conditional sentences, the auxiliary verb will be the verb had.

If you had regularly attended your classes, you could have passed the exam. → Had you regularly attended your classes, you could have passed the exam.
If If you went to class regularly, you would be able to pass the exam. → walk If you go to class regularly, you would be able to pass the exam.

Inversion in negative conditional sentences:

Be careful when using inversion in negative sentences. They do not allow particle merging not with a verb.

Should he not come in time, call me. - If suddenly he will not come on time call me.

Were it not for her bad mood, she wouldn't yell at everyone. - Do not be she's in a bad mood, she wouldn't yell at anyone.

Had they not lost all their money, they would have moved to another country. - He lose they have all their money, they would have moved to another country.

Inversion in designs
"so ... that" and "such ... that"

Inversion is used in constructions with adverbs so and such when we want to emotionally highlight some quality, positive or negative.

After so we use first an adjective or adverb that describes a certain property, then we put the verb and the subject.

So awesome was his essay that I asked him to read it one more time. - So fabulous It was his essay, what I asked to read it again.

After such verb and subject immediately. An adjective or adverb is not needed here. It is usually clear from the context of the sentence which quality is implied.

Such was her singing that we had to use the earplugs. - She sang So, what we had to use earplugs.

Inversion and adverbs of place

If the sentence begins with an adverb of place, then the verb is placed before the subject, that is, inversion appears. In this form, it is more often found in literary speech, especially in various descriptions.

on the tree sat an unusual bird. - On the tree sat an unusual bird.

Directly in front of them stood a beautiful castle. - Right in front of them there was a beautiful castle.

Do you think there is a difference between the sentences: “I went home” and “I went home”? In the second, the speaker wants to emphasize that he is going exactly home and this is achieved by moving the word "home" to the beginning. Often this is also combined with a special intonation, a person can say: “I went home!”. Similarly, inversion works in English.

Similar, but there is a significant difference, which we will talk about now. So, inversion (inversion, - ed.) Is a violation. The members of the sentence are rearranged in order to emotionally or logically emphasize the necessary part of the information of the sentence. But if for the Russian language permutations are the most common thing, then in English, based on its features as an analytical language, the fixed word order is fixed much more rigidly.

This means that the violation of this order is felt much more acutely by speakers and listeners than it happens in our language. It can be said that, stylistically, the English inversion is a “large-caliber” means in comparison with the inversion of the Russian language. Among other things, this means its narrower applicability in different situations, as well as the fact that the British use inversion selectively and not so often.

From a practical point of view, the main thing to remember is that there are two main types of inversion in English. In the first case, the auxiliary verb precedes the subject and the rest of the compound remains in its usual place.

Example: Rarely did she come to school (She rarely attended school - ed.).

The second type assumes that the main verb of the predicate comes before the subject.

Example: There he came to school (There he went to school - ed.).

The first type refers to "heavy inversion". Suffice it to say that Martin Hevings' textbook "Advanced Grammar in Use" even notes on this subject that when rearranging an auxiliary verb, it is impossible to replace a sentence with such an inversion with a sentence with the same words, but direct, that is, in the same fixed word order. And since “Rarely did she come to school” is not equivalent to “Rarely she came to school”, then the sentence of the first type must also be translated into Russian, emphasizing what is emphasized in it.
When using the second type, the corresponding English sentence can be replaced by a regular one, and therefore in Russian it is possible not to convey its emphaticity so sharply. However, the decision in a particular case must be made, taking into account the context and other linguistic aspects.

In connection with inversion, the question often arises of rearranging only the circumstances. Is there, for example, some emphasis in the following sentence: "Rarely she came to school"? The subject and predicate are in their places according to the standard word order. Only the circumstance has been changed. The answer will almost always be "no". The circumstance in English grammar is not so rigidly tied to a specific place in a sentence. It can be put at the beginning, or at the end - the meaning of the sentence will practically not change from this. Some textbooks only note that it is more characteristic of artistic speech to start a thought with a circumstance.

There are specific applied situations of application of inversion, which are usually discussed separately, although they do not break the logic of the two types of inversion.

1) There goes / Here comes. With the help of "here" and "there" they form impersonal constructions in which the verb stands in preposition in relation to the subject. They robbed me. It goes five thousand of rubles (They robbed me. It cost me five thousand rubles! - Ed.). "Here comes" is used to say that an event is coming. Here comes the train (A train is approaching - ed.).

2) Inversion in conditional constructions to do without "if". In sentences containing a conditional element, instead of "if", you can advance an auxiliary verb or a modal verb to get a conditional sentence. Had she played tennis, she would have reached considerable success. But with "if" such inversion is applicable: "If you should need more information, please let me know". However, be careful, it is expected that such a device will be used, in relation to the range of verbs for which this is typical. For example, a quite typical construction “Should you know here, you would….”.

3) Powerful inversions with negative adverbs: "Seldom", "Only", "Never", "Rarely", "Only if", "Little" and so on. Only once had he swept a yard (Only once did he sweep the yard). As with the rearrangement of an auxiliary verb, this subtype of inversion with adverbs should be referred to as “heavy inversion” - a certain part of the sentence is emphasized very strongly here, which must be taken into account in the translation.

4) Expressions with "so" and "that". So beautiful was she that all looks were on her (She was so beautiful that all eyes were on her) - ed.).

Some notes on the translation of the English inversion into Russian

If the predicate in the sentence in Russian is expressed by a transitive verb, then it cannot be translated into English with inversion, since then the object will become the subject. In the translation of an inverted English sentence, it will not always be possible to correctly convey the meaning by the same rearrangement of the predicate and subject, so you can rearrange other members of the sentence, the main thing is to keep the emphasis on that part of the sentence that is underlined in the original language.

Inversion in English

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Publication date 06/13/2018

Features of the use of grammatical inversion in modern English

Komyagina Olga Viktorovna
Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor of the Department of English, Vladimir State University named after V.I. A. G. and N. G. Stoletovs, Russian Federation, Vladimir, [email protected]
Karpova Anastasia Vladimirovna
4th year student of the Department of English, Vladimir State University named after V.I. A. G. and N. G. Stoletovs, Russian Federation, Vladimir, [email protected]

Resume: The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of the features of the use of grammatical inversion, which is an actual problem in the grammar of the English language. The article reveals the content of the concept of "grammatical inversion", its difference from the stylistic and dual cases of use. Based on the study of this phenomenon, it has been established that the order of words in an English sentence is usually fixed. However, in some cases, inverted word order is also allowed. Linguists distinguish two types of inversion, grammatical and stylistic, the line between which is thin, therefore it is of interest for study. The results of the study allow us to practically verify how common grammatical inversion is in the speech of native speakers.
Keywords: English language, inversion, grammatical inversion, stylistic inversion, word order, grammar

The use of grammatical inversion in the modern English language

Komyagina Olga Viktorovna
PhD in Philological sciences, Associate Professor of English Language department, Vladimir State University Named after Alexander and Nikolay Stoletovs, Russia, Vladimir
Karpova Anastasia Vladimirovna
4th year Student of English Language department, Vladimir State University Named after Alexander and Nikolay Stoletovs, Russia, Vladimir

Abstract: The article is dedicated to research study of the peculiarities of the use of grammatical inversion, which is an actual issue of the English grammar. The article deals with the definition of grammatical inversion, its difference from the stylistic inversion and ambiguous cases of its use. It was ascertained, that the word order in English sentence is fixed. However, there are some cases of using inverted word order in the language. Linguists speak about two kinds of inversion – grammatical and stylistic – the difference between which is quite ambiguous. Thus, a study of this phenomenon is of great interest. The results of the research show to what extent grammatical inversion is common in the speech of the native speakers.
Keywords: English, inversion, grammatical inversion, stylistic inversion, word order, grammar

The English language is characterized by a fixed word order in a sentence, that is, the subject comes first, the predicate comes second. However, there are a number of cases where this rule is violated. Reverse word order constructions are called inversions. Longman's dictionary gives the following definition of this phenomenon: “Inversion is the operation of rearranging the members of a sentence, as a result of which the order of words in two statements becomes reversed. For example, in declarative sentences in English, the auxiliary verb comes after the subject ( I will help you), in questions - before the subject ( Will you help me?)» .

Inversion performs several functions in the language: logical, grammatical, emotional, communicative, pragmatic and structural-semantic.

As a rule, domestic linguists (I.V. Arnold, I.I. Profit, V.A. Kukharenko) distinguish between grammatical and stylistic inversion. Foreign grammarians, speaking about changing the order of words in a sentence, use terms such as inversion and "fronting". Despite the difference in terms, designs with "fronting" imply a stylistic inversion.

A grammatical inversion is a structure in which the verb predicate precedes the subject. At the same time, its two main forms are distinguished: complete inversion (the predicate is in front of the subject - Just as important is the question of tolerance) and partial inversion (the auxiliary verb is in front of the subject - Never have I seen such a handsome man) . Michael Strumpf and Oriel Douglas also distinguish inversion, in which the subject comes after the verb ( under the treewas lyinga dog). Partial inversion is very common in the language, as it involves the use of forms with the auxiliary verb do. Thanks to this, both inversion and direct word order are combined ( Do they live nearby?) .

Grammar inversion is widely used in magazines and newspapers. This is due to the fact that it does not depend on personal attitude and is governed by the grammatical rules of the language.

Foreign linguists (Sylvia Chalker, Michael Swan, Mark Foley, Martin Hugins) in addition to inversion also distinguish such a thing as "fronting". This is a structure in which part of the sentence is placed first in order to focus on the important ( WineI can't drink it gives me a headache). A part of a sentence means an adjective, adverbial phrase, addition or complement. It is worth noting that when an adjective or circumstance is placed in the initial position, the word order becomes inverted. However, such foreign scientists as Mark Foley and Sylvia Chalker do not attribute these permutations of the members of the sentence to inversion, calling this kind of construction "fronting".

In the literary language, the complement or complement is often placed in the initial position. In this case, the subject and predicate do not change places:

The loft she rarely visited.

satisfied I was not.

I. V. Arnold understands stylistic inversion as a violation of the usual arrangement of the members of the sentence, as a result of which one of them is highlighted and receives special connotations of emotionality or expressiveness.

Inversion as a stylistic device serves as a means of enhancing the expressiveness and expressiveness of a work of art. From the point of view of stylistics, the violation of the traditional word order imposes additional semantic shades, strengthens or weakens the semantic load of a certain member of the sentence.

Thus, grammatical inversion changes the grammatical meaning of the statement and presupposes the precedence of the verb-predicate to the subject. Stylistic inversion singles out one of the members of the sentence, as a result of which it gives the statement a certain emotional coloring. The verb does not always precede the subject.

In the course of studying the problem of the functioning of grammatical inversion in English, we conducted a study, the essence of which was to establish the features of the use of grammatical inversion in the speech of native speakers. During the study, twenty native speakers living in the United States (Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Colorado, Montana, New York, Washington) were interviewed.

We proposed a questionnaire consisting of 30 pairs of sentences, identical in meaning and lexical content, but differing in word order. The task of the respondent was to choose between two sentences and briefly justify their choice.

As noted by many grammarians, the English language is characterized by a rigid word order in a sentence. But there are a number of cases where inverted and direct word order are interchangeable. Such dual cases of using grammatical inversion were used by us when creating the questionnaire.

Martin Hewings, in his Advanced Grammar in Use, argues that we can use inverted word order in sentences that begin with ‘so + adjective + that". Here, grammatical inversion puts emphasis on the adjective, thereby highlighting it:

So popular did the song become, that it sounded almost in every movie.

A similar situation exists with statements beginning with the construction such + to be, which emphasizes the degree or magnitude of the phenomenon described in the sentence:

Such is the public indignation that meetings are being organized every now and then all over the country.

As a result of the survey, 100% of respondents chose the option with direct word order, arguing their choice by the fact that the noun should come before the descriptive adjective. The variant with the inverted word order was perceived as incorrect.

Grammatical inversion is widely used in comparisons with conjunctions as, than, so. Curiously, the option ‘The garden was beautiful as was the house’ chosen by 100% of the respondents. One of the arguments in favor of this choice was that the sentence should not end with the verb ‘was’. Others justified the legitimacy of this kind of construction of the sentence by the fact that the inverted word order is permissible in comparisons.

The Oxford English Grammar Course, edited by Catherine Walker and Michael Swan, mentions the grammatical inversion model with conjunction than:

Joe tends to grumble more often than does his elder brother.

As the survey shows, this model is actually not very common in the speech of native speakers. 90% of respondents choose the option with direct word order (Fig. 1). It should be noted that among
those who chose the option with grammatical inversion consider this model to be correct and allow its use in speech, since the utterance is based on a comparison ( than doeshis elder brother).

Figure 1. Inversion with unionthan

Michael Swan describes among the cases of using grammatical inversion the variant with the adverb of place or direction as a fairly common occurrence in the English language. This type of circumstance is, as a rule, at the beginning of the sentence, while the intransitive verb precedes the subject. This model of grammatical inversion is especially common in literary writing, in descriptions, and is used when a new unknown object is introduced to the speaker:

southward stretched the valley .

As a result of the survey, this model was also perceived by native speakers as incorrect. 100% of respondents chose the option with the traditional English direct word order.

In English, it is permissible to omit the union if in conditional clauses. Thus, the grammatical inversion is used in the subordinate clause, which gives the statement an official character:

Should you meet him, please tell him the news.

100% of respondents chose the option with inverted word order. Many explained their choice by the fact that the union is not needed at all. Someone noted the variant with inversion as the most euphonious. One of the respondents stated that the direct word order option would be correct if it did not contain a modal verb should. In general, both options were noted by native speakers as equally true.

Afterexpressions It is also possible to use inversion:

Not only was she rude but she didn't even apologize.

The opinions of the respondents in this case differed (Fig. 2). One half chose inversion, the other half chose direct word order. For someone, the inversion option could have the right to exist if the first part of the sentence with not only contacted the second but also. The respondents were given the following options: ‘Not only was she rude but she also didn’t apologize’. For others, both options seemed equally valid, but the inversion option was more preferable, as it sets the emphasis on verbs ( was, sorry), which denote the actions performed by the object (s he).

Figure 2.Inversiononafterexpressions not only, only if, only after

Grammarians argue that the word order in the author's speech, which traditionally accompanies direct speech, can also be inverted:

‘It's too late,’ said Tom.

An exception are cases when the subject in the author's speech is expressed by a pronoun. In this case, word order can only be direct: ‘ Let` s go, 'she said .

Most of the respondents chose the option with inverted word order. 20% nevertheless preferred the variant with the direct word order, which seems to them more correct and “aesthetic” (Fig. 3).

Even though the word little belongs to the group of negative adverbs, which also include never, hardly scarcely and others already mentioned and discussed in this article, the majority of respondents chose the sentence with inverted word order (Fig. 4):

Little Michael knows about the world.

For some, this option turned out to be more neutral. Someone marked it as "true inverted". One of the respondents noted that in the sentence ‘ michael littleknows about the world’ phrase " Michael little' sounds like a first and last name, so he preferred the direct word order option. Nevertheless, both options were recognized by many as correct.

Figure 4. Inversion afterlittle

L.G. Alexander, George Yule argue that inverted word order is possible after the so-called negative adverbs ( never, nowhere, hardly, rarely, scarcely, barely seldom, little). A statement beginning with such words sounds very formal, so it is often used in a formal style:

Never has she seen such a storm.

The opinions of native speakers about this model differed. 20% of respondents chose the option with inverted word order. Many noted the correctness of the use of statements with both direct and inverted word order. But the overwhelming majority still preferred the variant with the direct word order (Fig. 5).

Figure 5. Inversion after negative adverbs

In most cases, grammatical inversion is characteristic of literary English and gives the utterance an emphatic character.

Despite the fact that leading English-speaking grammarians identify many cases of the use of grammatical inversion in the language, native speakers are still more accustomed to expressing their thoughts using the direct word order, which, in their opinion, corresponds to the rules of English grammar.

Thus, direct word order prevails in English. If the rule does not fix the use of inversion as the only true one, when building your statements, you should give preference to the standard word order of the sentence.

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13. Strumpf, M. The Grammar Bible / Michael Strumpf. - An owl book, 2004. - 489 p.
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There is a definite, established, direct word order in an English sentence. That is, the predicate comes immediately after the subject.

He came here. (He came here).

However, in some cases, the direct word order is violated. In this case, the predicate comes before the subject. This phenomenon is called inversion.

Near the river is a small garden. (There is a small garden there).

Inversion in English takes place in such cases.

Most often in interrogative sentences:

Is she a real star? (Is she a real star?).

Are you a good man? (You are a good person?).

Unlike inversion in English, Russian inversion does not depend on grammar and serves only for the emotional coloring of the sentence.

Will you obey? You speak hard.

Inversion is also possible in other cases. If there is an adverb of place at the beginning of a sentence:

On my way are many barriers. (There are many obstacles in my way.)

In this town lives a friend of mine. (My friend lives in this city).

Often inversion is present after words here(here and there(there).

Here stand an old sofa. (There is an old sofa here).

There flies a big fly. (There is a big fly flying over there).

Also, inversion is present in direct speech.

“You are strange,” he said. ("You're weird," he said.)

“I can’t believe it,” cried Tom. ("I can't believe it," exclaimed Tom).

After the words neither, so, as, nor if they agree.

I love that man! - So do I! (I love this man! - Me too).

I don't believe in ghosts. - Neither do I. (I don't believe in ghosts. - I don't either).

With words should, had, were in conditional sentences. For example:

Were I in that city I'd take a million photos! (If I were in that city, I would take a million photos).

Had he believed in ghosts he would have driven mad. (If he believed in ghosts, he would go crazy).

The use of prepositions and adverbs, various constructions

Inversion in English also takes place if adverbs such as: never, seldom, rarely,barely(hardly scarcely) … when(before) no sooner… than.

Hardly had I started my work when I understood how little I know. (As soon as I started my work, I realized that I know very little).

Seldom have I seen a better man. (Very rarely have I seen a better person).

Using inversion, you can omit the word If(if):

If we should need more money, we'll ask for them. = Should we need more money, we'll ask for them. (If we need more money, we will ask)

If I were there I would call him. = Were I there, I'd call him. (If I had been there, I would have called him).

After the word only(only) with temporary expressions like only after, only later, only when, only then, only once:

Only once was I in trouble. (Only once have I been in trouble.)

I came home at 3 p.m. Only then did I my homework. (I returned home at 15.00. Only then did I do my homework)

Also if behind the word only prepositions follow by, in, with and others. For example:

Only by 12 o'clock had he finished the task. (Only by 12 o'clock he finished the task)

I had to work for 12 hours a day. Only in this case could I earn much money. (I had to work 12 hours a day. Only in this case I was able to earn a lot of money).

Inversion in English also takes place in expressions with a particle not, not only, until and not + object.

Not a single word was heard from him. (Not a single word was heard from him.)

After constructions so+ adjective… that, so+ be… that, neither/not…

So fluent she spoke English that she could understand all the words. (She spoke English so fluently that she could understand all the words)

So bad was her behavior that we couldn't be friends. (Her behavior was so bad that we couldn't become friends)

With the turn it + to be, indirect word order is also used.

It was him who played in the yard. (He is the one who played in the yard).

It is me who pays the bills. (I'm the one who pays the bills.)