did we have

Question

HiThere's the lyrics: It was already half past threebut the night was youngand so we were dancingney nah neh nahoh lord did we have a ballstill singing walking down that hallthat ney nah neh nah nah neh nahh ...Why: Oh Lord did we have a ball instead of Oh Lord we did have a ball or we had a ball, it's an affarmative not interrogative sentence, so why "did"before "we"???

Philip · Accepted Answer

NewguestHi

There's the lyrics:

It was already half past three
but the night was young
and so we were dancing
ney nah neh nah
oh lord did we have a ball
still singing walking down that hall
that ney nah neh nah nah neh nahh ...

Why: Oh Lord did we have a ball instead of Oh Lord we did have a ball or we had a ball, it's an affarmative not interrogative sentence, so why "did"before "we"???

It's an isolated (= unexplainable) construction to show emphasis. "Did you have fun in Paris?" "Oh, boy, did we (ever)!"

Yankee · Answer

Basically, it's an inversion of the verb and the subject, used for emphasis (as Philip mentioned).

You'll often find this sort of emphatic inversion in sentences in which there is a negative word or idea at the beginning of the sentence. You'll also see this in conditional sentences in which 'if' has been omitted. For example:

- Never in my life have I seen such a mess! (= I have never seen such a mess in my life.)
- Hardly had I climbed into bed when someone started pounding at the door.
- No sooner had I gotten into the tub than the telephone rang.
- Under no circumstances will I ever give my approval for such a hair-brained scheme!
- Little did I know that he was actually a scam artist.
- Only after she had made 50 telephone calls was she able to find a replacement.
- Not until they had tried every means possible to resuscitate her did they take her off life support.
- Had I known this before you began, I would not have agreed to fund the project.

Newguest · Answer

thanks for your replies

did we have

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions