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Esfior Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Inversion?

I'm an English student in Germany and currently we've been revising a few grammar rules. Today's lesson was on inversion, and two sentences my teacher said were right confused me a little:

1) Original sentence: It's only the more recent history that offends him.
Inverted: Only the more recent history does offend him.

This sentence feels very wrong to me. Shouldn't it be "Only the more recent history offends them?"

2) Original sentence: She had not experienced such joy since her first birthday.
Inverted: Never had she experienced such joy since her first birthday.

This doesn't feel very right to me either, and according to my teacher, this other version is wrong: Not since her first birthday had she experienced such joy.

I'm not quite sure why, since apparently "Not till" is okay to use with inversion. Any help would be appreciated.
  

Top answer

Hello, esfior—and welcome to English Forums. esfior currently we've been revising a few grammar rules. Not a good idea.

— Mister Micawber

  • Hello, esfior—and welcome to English Forums.
  • esfior currently we've been revising a few grammar rules.
  • Not a good idea.
  • Perhaps you mean 'reviewing'?
  • esfior Inverted: Only the more recent history does offend him.
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8 Answers
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Hello, esfior—and welcome to English Forums.
esfior currently we've been revising a few grammar rules.
Not a good idea. Perhaps you mean 'reviewing'?
esfiorInverted: Only the more recent history does offend him.
Wrong; not even possible, really.
esfior Shouldn't it be "Only the more recent history offe
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Whoops! Well, that's embarassing.
Thanks a lot for your help!
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Mister MicawberesfiorInverted: Only the more recent history does offend him.Wrong; not even possible, really.esfior Shouldn't it be "Only the more recent history offends them?"Yes.
Hi,

I have a similar question.

1. Only in terms of the physics of image formation do the eye and camera have anything in common.

Q) What can be the origin
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moon7296What can be the original sentence for #1 before its being inverted.
There are not any 'original' sentences. Inversion is a sentence structure phenomenon.
moon7296 (by the way, before it being inverted sounds ok? should I say before it is inverted?)
You can fix the first as I have done for you or use the secon
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Mister Micawber Perhaps you mean 'reviewing'?
BrE revise can mean AmE review
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moon72961. Only in terms of the physics of image formation do the eye and camera have anything in common.Q) What can be the original sentence for #1 before it being inverted.
The eye and camera have something in common only in terms of the physics of image formation.
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fivejedjonBrE revise can mean AmE review
Then what do you use for 'changing'?
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Mister MicawberThen what do you use for 'changing'?
We can use 'http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/revise' for that as well.
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