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Unit 20
Inversion & Emphasis
in speech and writing
Inversion for Agreement — So / Neither / Nor
Use So / Neither / Nor + auxiliary + subject to agree with a positive or negative statement.
| Type | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Positive agreement | "I love coffee." → So do I. | I also love coffee. |
| Negative agreement | "I don't eat meat." → Neither do I. | I also don't eat meat. |
| Past | "I went there." → So did I. | Agreement with past |
| Present Perfect | "I've been there." → So have I. | Agreement with perfect |
| Modal | "I can swim." → So can I. | Agreement with modal |
Negative Adverbial Inversion (Review + Extension)
After negative or restrictive adverbs at the start of a sentence, invert subject and auxiliary.
| Adverb/phrase | Example |
|---|---|
| Never / Rarely / Seldom | Never have I seen such chaos. |
| Hardly / Scarcely + had | Hardly had we started when it rained. |
| No sooner + had | No sooner had she left than the phone rang. |
| Not until | Not until she called did I realise the truth. |
| Only then / Only when | Only then did I understand. |
| Little | Little did I know what was coming. |
So / Such + Inversion for Emphasis
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| So + adjective + was/were + subject + that | So beautiful was the view that we stopped. |
| Such + was/were + noun + that | Such was her talent that everyone noticed. |
Not Only ... But Also + Inversion
- Not only did he win the match, but he also broke the record.
- Not only was she late, but she also forgot her notes.
- Not only had they failed, but they had also misled the public.
- ⚠ If "not only" is in the middle of a sentence, inversion is optional: He not only won but also broke the record.
Agreement Inversion in Detail
| Context | Positive (So) | Negative (Neither/Nor) |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | So do I. | Neither do I. |
| Past Simple | So did I. | Neither did I. |
| Present Perfect | So have I. | Neither have I. |
| Modals | So can I. / So would I. | Neither can I. / Nor would I. |
| Be verb | So am I. / So is she. | Neither am I. |
Me Too, Me Neither, Either & As
| Register | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Informal | Me too. | Me neither. / I don't either. |
| Neutral | So do I. | Neither / Nor do I. |
| Different opinion | "I love it." "I don't." | "I don't like it." "I do." |
| Formal (as + inversion) | She was delighted, as were we. | He didn't agree, nor did his team. |
| Surprised confirmation | "Look, it's snowing!" "So it is!" (no inversion) | — |
Common Mistakes
So I do.
→
So do I.
Inversion needed: auxiliary + subject (do I).
Neither I don't.
→
Neither do I.
Neither + auxiliary + subject: Neither do I.
Not only he won, but also broke a record.
→
Not only did he win, but he also broke a record.
"Did" needed for inversion after "not only".
Never I have seen this.
→
Never have I seen this.
Auxiliary before subject after negative adverb.
So beautiful the view was.
→
So beautiful was the view.
Adjective + was + subject: So beautiful was the view.
"I'm not ready." "I'm not too."
→
"I'm not either." / "Neither am I."
Negative → either / neither, not too.