Structure

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Q1:Her parents want to be supportive, but they no longer help with Bella’s homework.Many sentences in English start in the highlighted structure. What kind of a sentence is that? Is it formal?Q2:America itself is well-known for being a melting pot of different ethnic groups and cultures, but nowhere is this diversity more pronounced than in Queens, New York.Why is the second sentence in question form? what was the original sentence?Q3:The study was well supported by local residents, but often what was of more immediate interest to people was something which intrigues us all: the history of our recent ancestryIs the highlighted part a noun clause( I think that is an obvious question)But what is the structure, I don't get it !

GPY · Accepted Answer

Abbas RajabpourMany sentences in English start in the highlighted structure. What kind of a sentence is that? Is it formal?

Do you mean that many sentences begin "No longer ..."? I disagree that "many" sentences start like that. It is relatively unusual, I would say. Yes, sentences starting "No longer ..." will tend to be formal.

Abbas RajabpourQ2:America itself is well-known for being a melting pot of different ethnic groups and cultures, but nowhere is this diversity more pronounced than in Queens, New York.
Why is the second sentence in question form?

It is an inversion of "this diversity is nowhere more pronounced than in Queens".

You say "second sentence" but there is only one sentence.

Abbas RajabpourThe study was well supported by local residents, but often what was of more immediate interest to people was something which intrigues us all: the history of our recent ancestry
Is the highlighted part a noun clause( I think that is an obvious question)

Yes.

CalifJim · Answer

Abbas Rajabpournowhere is this diversity more pronounced than in Queens, New York.

This is subject-verb inversion after an initial negative adverb.

The inversion is accomplished by placing the first auxiliary verb before the subject of the clause. If there is no auxiliary, a form of do (do, does, did) is inserted to provide the auxiliary (except for forms of be, which does not take auxiliary do).

Subject-verb inversion is used in the following cases:

1. To form questions
2. After an initial negative adverb
3. After initial 'only'
4. Optionally in comparatives
5. Optionally for locative expressions
6. Optionally for quotations, i.e., "said he" for "he said"

Examples.

1. Have we seen this before?
2. Never had he experienced such misery.
3. Only with safety gloves should you ever handle this material.
4. Jack is taller than Tom, as is Fred.
5. In the garden was a cherry tree.
6. "Well done!" said the professor.

For a more complete list, see http://www.testmagic.com/Knowledge_Base/lists/grammar/inversion.htm

CJ

Structure

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