The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

Subject-auxiliary inversion after negative adverbials

In formal and literary styles, the subject and auxiliary are inverted when negative adverbials are placed at the beginning of the sentence for rhetorical effect.

HARDLY, SCARCELY, BARELY, NO SOONER

NEVER, RARELY, LITTLE, IN / UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, ON NO CONDITION, IN NO WAY, NOT ONLY ... BUT ALSO etc.

ONLY AFTER, ONLY IF, ONLY IN THIS WAY etc., NOT UNTIL

HARDLY, SCARCELY, BARELY, NO SOONER

HARDLY/SCARCELY/BARELY ... WHEN

NO SOONER ... THAN

When a story is told in the past tense, the adverbials hardly, scarcely, barely and no sooner are often used to emphasise that one event quickly followed another. The verb describing the earlier event is usually in the past perfect tense. If hardly, scarcely, barely and no sooner are in the initial position, the subject and auxiliary are inverted:

Hardly

had I arrived

home when my phone rang.

(I had hardly arrived home when my phone rang.)

Scarcely

had she finished

reading when she fell asleep.

(She had scarcely finished reading when she fell asleep.)

Barely

had they won

the match when the coach had a heart attack.

(They had barely won the match when the coach had a heart attack.)

No sooner

had the company launched

its new product than it went bankrupt.

(The company had no sooner launched its new product than it went bankrupt.)

Note that hardly, scarcely and barely are followed by when, while no sooner is followed by than. (Sooner is the comparative form of soon.)

Related topics:

Past perfect for actions completed before a point in the past

NEVER, RARELY, LITTLE, IN / UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, ON NO CONDITION, IN NO WAY, NOT ONLY ... BUT ALSO etc.

When never, rarely, little etc. are placed at the beginning of the sentence for rhetorical effect, the subject and auxiliary are inverted:

Never (before)

have we faced

such a challenge!

(We have never faced such a challenge!)

Rarely

has there been

so much speculation about the future of the company.

(There has rarely been so much speculation about the future of the company.)

Little

did she understand

what the conversation was about.

(She didn't really understand what the conversation was about.)

Under no circumstances

are you allowed

to disturb the pilots.

(You are not allowed to disturb the pilots under any circumstances.)

On no condition

will the company bear

responsibility for lost property.

(The company will not bear responsibility for lost property on any condition.)

In no way

am I related

to the suspect.

(I am in no way related to the suspect. )

Not only

did he exceed

the speed limit, but he had also consumed alcohol.

(He not only exceeded the speed limit, but he had also consumed alcohol.)

Not only

were you late

, but you didn't even have a good excuse.

(You were not only late, but you didn't have a good excuse either.)

ONLY AFTER, ONLY IF, ONLY IN THIS WAY etc., NOT UNTIL

When only after, only if, only in this way etc. are placed at the beginning of the sentence for rhetorical effect, the subject and auxiliary are inverted:

Only after lunch

can you play

.

(You can only play after lunch.)

Only after finishing your homework

can you play

.

(You can only play after you finish your homework.)

Only after you have finished your homework

can you play

.

(You can only play after you have finished your homework.)

Only by guessing

can you solve

this puzzle.

(You can only solve this puzzle by guessing.)

Only if everybody agreed

would I accept

this position.

(I would only accept this position if everybody agreed.)

Only in this way

does this machine work

.

(This machine only works in this way.)

Only then

did they discover

his secret.

(They only discovered his secret then.)

Only when he needed some help

did he call

me.

(He only called me when he needed some help.)

Only when I filled my glass

did I notice

that it was broken.

(I only noticed that my glass was broken when I filled it.)

The last sentence can be rephrased as:

Not until I filled my glass

did I notice

that it was broken.

(I didn't notice that my glass was broken until I filled it.)

If only is followed by the subject at the beginning of the sentence, there is no inversion:

Only you can

understand.

(No one else can understand.)

Quotes:

Only in grammar can you be more than perfect. - William Safire