C2 Mastery Advanced inversion and emphasis
Advanced inversion after fronted adverbials
Lesson goal. After this lesson you can use advanced inversion after fronted adverbials (No sooner...than, Not until, Little did, Rarely/Seldom) in formal style.
When to use it
- Emphasising two events happening almost at once: No sooner had the doors opened than the crowd rushed in.
- Emphasising the point when someone realised something: Not until she got home did she realise...
- Emphasising complete surprise: Little did he know...
- Emphasising how rarely something happens: Rarely/Seldom have I seen...
Form
| Fronted adverbial | Inversion pattern |
|---|---|
| No sooner | had + S + V3, than + S + V (past simple) |
| Not until + point in time | auxiliary + S + V |
| Little did | S + V (base form) |
| Rarely/Seldom | have/has + S + V3 |
Step by step
- Place the emphatic adverbial/phrase at the start of the sentence.
- Invert the auxiliary (had, did, have/has) before the subject, like a question.
- With 'No sooner...than': the clause after 'than' takes the simple past.
- With 'Little did': follow with the base verb (know, realise, think...), not a conjugated form.
Compared with Hardly...when (from C1)
| Structure | Paired conjunction |
|---|---|
| No sooner + had + S + V3 | than |
| Hardly/Scarcely + had + S + V3 | when |
| Not until + point in time | did/does + S + V |
Examples
No sooner had we sat down than the waiter brought the menu.
Not until the results arrived did we understand the true scale of the problem.
Little did she know that the decision would change her whole career.
Rarely have I seen such dedication in a new employee.
Common mistakes
No sooner the film had started than the power went out. → No sooner had the film started than the power went out.
'had' must be inverted before the subject when 'No sooner' begins the sentence.
Little he knew that the offer would change everything. → Little did he know that the offer would change everything.
'Little did' needs the auxiliary 'did' + base verb 'know', not the conjugated 'knew'.
Not until the results arrived we understood the true scale of the problem. → Not until the results arrived did we understand the true scale of the problem.
After 'Not until + time point', the auxiliary 'did' must be inverted before the subject.
Memory tip
Remember 'No sooner...than' pairs with 'than' (not 'when'), while 'Hardly...when' pairs with 'when' — these two are easy to mix up.
Summary
- No sooner + had + S + V3, than + S + V (simple past).
- Not until + time point, + auxiliary + S + V.
- Little did + S + V (base form); Rarely/Seldom + have/has + S + V3.
Practise this lesson
Do exercises with an explanation for every question, take mini tests and track your progress on GrammUp.