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Taka Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
inversion
Do these inversions work fine? Are these grammatically not wrong? I'm not saying I'm going to use them. I'm just wondering if it's possible or not.
·In front of the door stood he.
·Beautiful is she.
·In front of the door stood he.
·Beautiful is she.
Top answer
Beautiful is she might work in a poem. Beautiful is she who cares for the sick and needy. In front of the door he stood could work in some sort of narrative, but not stood he , unless in a poem.
- Beautiful is she might work in a poem.
- Beautiful is she who cares for the sick and needy.
- In front of the door he stood could work in some sort of narrative, but not stood he , unless in a poem.
- Neither of your samples has a place in conversation or non-fiction.
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10 Answers
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Beautiful is she might work in a poem. Beautiful is she who cares for the sick and needy.
In front of the door he stood could work in some sort of narrative, but not stood he, unless in a poem.
Neither of your samples has a place in conversation or non-fiction.
In front of the door he stood could work in some sort of narrative, but not stood he, unless in a poem.
Neither of your samples has a place in conversation or non-fiction.
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In the right contexts, typically poetic, these and many other and more difficult inversions are used.
I believe there's even an e e cummings poem that begins with the second part of a comparative structure:
as freedom is a breakfastfood ...
...
just so long ...
CJ
I believe there's even an e e cummings poem that begins with the second part of a comparative structure:
as freedom is a breakfastfood ...
...
just so long ...
CJ
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Jim, you said 'in the right contexts, typically poetic' while Avangi said 'but not stood he , unless in a poem'.
You think 'in front of the door stood he' might be seen somewhere other than in a poem?
You think 'in front of the door stood he' might be seen somewhere other than in a poem?
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Hi Taka
In your sentences, I think the use of the simple pronouns 'he' and 'she' plays a role, too. Perhaps you could say that they're often just "not important enough" to qualify for inversion.
For example, I have no problem with Hoa Thai's sample sentences:
“Here comes the bride.”
“Deeper and deeper into the wood ran the horse.”
However, if you replace
In your sentences, I think the use of the simple pronouns 'he' and 'she' plays a role, too. Perhaps you could say that they're often just "not important enough" to qualify for inversion.
For example, I have no problem with Hoa Thai's sample sentences:
“Here comes the bride.”
“Deeper and deeper into the wood ran the horse.”
However, if you replace
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Amy, I was about the raise the same point, but I don't know why it's so.
Next to the door stood the grandfather clock is not only okay, it sounds more natural (as a complete sentence) than Next to the door the grandfather clock stood.
Yet Next to the door stood he sounds "poetic" and Next to the door he stood it sounds wrong - only It stood next to
Next to the door stood the grandfather clock is not only okay, it sounds more natural (as a complete sentence) than Next to the door the grandfather clock stood.
Yet Next to the door stood he sounds "poetic" and Next to the door he stood it sounds wrong - only It stood next to
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Hi Barb
There are other cases in English in which you can't do the same thing with a pronoun that you can do with a full-fledged noun.
For example, I can say this:
I put the fire out.
Or this:
I put out the fire.
Or this:
I put it
There are other cases in English in which you can't do the same thing with a pronoun that you can do with a full-fledged noun.
For example, I can say this:
I put the fire out.
Or this:
I put out the fire.
Or this:
I put it
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Hi Taka,
Your first example had a "double inversion," if I may. Straight-up would be, He stood in front of the door. Stage one would be, In front of the door he stood. Stage two would be, In front of the door stood he.
I meant to say, stage one could be used in a non-poetic narrative - like the famous Mike Hammer line, And there she stood, star
Your first example had a "double inversion," if I may. Straight-up would be, He stood in front of the door. Stage one would be, In front of the door he stood. Stage two would be, In front of the door stood he.
I meant to say, stage one could be used in a non-poetic narrative - like the famous Mike Hammer line, And there she stood, star
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Grammar GeekIt's interesting, isn't it?Actually, I usually think of it as "weird".
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