Inversions- negative adverbs

Special narrative structure 2

INVERSIONS WITH NEGATIVE ADVERBS

By Carmen R.

Time expressions -examples of Negative Adverbials Hardly / Barely / Scarcely / No sooner

These can mean “As soon as” - If placed first in the sentence, they become emphatic and use inversion as a result.

They use the past perfect or the past simple equally and interchangeably:As soon as I (had) arrived, the talk began. Hardly / Barely /Scarcely did I arrive / had I arrived WHEN the talk began. No sooner did I arrive / had I arrived THAN the talk began. (comparative form)

Exercises

Change the following sentences: 1. I went to bed. I went to sleep 2. I went to sleep. I started dreaming. 3. I started dreaming. I had a nightmare. 4. The nightmare finished. I woke up. 5. I woke up. I realised there was someone else in the house. 6. I got out of bed. I went downstairs. 7. I opened the kitchen door and fell out of bed! ____________________________________________________

key- Possible answers

Barely had I gone to bed when I went to sleep. No sooner had I gone to bed than I went to sleep. No sooner did I go to bed than I went to sleep. Barely had I gone to sleep when I started dreaming. No sooner had I started dreaming than I had a nightmare. Barely had the nightmare finished when I woke up. Hardly had I woken up when I realised there was someone in the house. Scarcely had I got out of bed when I went downstairs. Barely had I ...when I...and ... Hardly had I gone / did I go to bed when I went to sleep. Barely had I gone / did I go to sleep when I started dreaming. No sooner had I started / did I start dreaming than I had a nightmare. Scarcely had the nightmare finished / did the nightmare finish when I woke up. Barely had I woken up when I realised there was someone in the house. No sooner did I get out of bed than I went downstairs. Hardly had I opened the kitchen door when I fell out of bed and woke up.