Introduction

L'inversion implique de changer la position du sujet et de l'auxiliaire ou du modal.

On utilise l'inversion:

• Quand on commence une phrase avec une expression adverbiale négative, une expression adverbiale de lieu, ou tout simplement un adverbe
• Avec: "only after", "only if", "only when", etc. si ces expressions sont placées en début de phrase pour créer un effet de rhétorique
• Dans des phrases conditionnelles sans "if"
• Pour insister et former une phrase plus soutenue.

Exemples

• "Under no circumstances should you open the box."
  (You should not open the box.)
   
• "On the table were three old books."
  (Three old books were on the table.)
   
• "Hardly had I entered the room when the orchestra began to play."
  (I had hardly entered the room when the orchestra began to play.)
   
• "Only when it started raining did he give me the umbrella."*
  (He gave me the umbrella only when it started raining.)
   

* Veuillez noter que l'inversion se produit dans la proposition principale après des expressions comme "only after", "only if" et "only when".

Exemples supplémentaires

• "Had I gone to university, I might have been a doctor."
  (If I had gone to university, I might have been a doctor.)
   
• "Had I not gone to university, I wouldn’t have been a doctor."
  (If I hadn’t gone to university, I wouldn’t have been a doctor.)
   
• "Had you gone to university, would you have been a doctor?"
  (If you had gone to university, would you have been a doctor?)

---

Quelques adverbes négatifs courants

• Never (before), Rarely, Seldom…
• Under no circumstances…
• Hardly, Scarcely …when…
• No sooner…than…
• Little…
• In no way…
• Not only…but…
• On no account…
• At no time…

Exemples

• As soon as I arrived, the music started.
  "No sooner did I arrive than the music started."
   
• You mustn’t have the music too loud.
  "On no account must you have the music too loud." *
   
• He’d never seen anything like it before.
  "Never before had he seen anything like it." *
   
• I’d never seen the film.
  "At no time had I (ever) seen the film." *

* Veuillez noter qu'un verbe négatif se transforme en verbe positif s'il suit une expression adverbiale négative.

---

Exercices d'entraînement

Transformez les phrases suivantes:

.

1)

You mustn't let the dog off its lead.
Under no circumstances    the dog off its lead.

 

2)

She had never been there.
At no time    there.

 

3)

I am hardly ever late for work.
Rarely    late for work.

 

4)

This is not acceptable.
In no way    acceptable.

 

Please submit the missing answers shown in red
 

Submit

E xercices d'entraînement supplémentaires

Choisissez l'option correcte entre a, b, c ou d:
.

1)

Seldom ____ on holiday as children.
 

we did go

did we go

went we

we went

 

---

2)

Scarcely ____ the house when it started to rain.
 

they hadn't left

they left

they had left

had they left

 

---

3)

____ more hard-working, she would have a job.
 

She were

She was

Were she

If were she

 

---

4)

Out in the garden ____.
 

birds aren't

are there birds

are birds

birds are

 

---

5)

On no account ____ the phone.
 

should you answer

you should answer

answer you

you shouldn't answer

 

---

6)

Not only ____ but he was rude as well.
 

was he late

late was he

he wasn't late

he was late

 

---

Please submit the missing answers shown in red
 

Submit