Structure and Written Expression

Sentence With Inverted Subjects And Verbs

Subjects and verbs are invited in a variety of situations in English. Inverted subjects and verbs occur most often in the formation of a question. To form a question with a helping verb (be, have, can, could, will, would, etc), the subject and helping verb are inverted.

            He can go to the movie

            Can he go to the movies ?

           

            You would tell me the truth.

            Would you tell me the truth ?

            She was sick yesterday.

            Was she sick yesterday ?

Toform a question when there is no helping verb in the sentence, the helping verb do is used.

            He goes to the movies.

            Does he go to the movies?

            You told me the truth.

            Did you tell me the truth?

There are many other situations in English when subjects and verbs, you will be able to handle the other situations the most common problem with inverted subject and verbs on the TOEFL test occur in the following situations : (1) with question word such as what, when, where, why and how; (2) after some place expressions; (3) after negative expressions; (4) in some conditionals; and (5) after some comparisons.

SKILL 13 INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH THE QUESTION WORD

There is some confusion about when to invert the subject and verb after question words such as what, when, where, why, and how. These words can have two verydifferent functions in a stences. First, they can introduce a questions, and in this case the subject and verb that follow are inverted.

            What is the homework?

When can I leave?

            Where are you going?

Also, these words can join together two clauses, and in this case the subject and verb that follow are not inverted.

            I do not know what the homework is.

            When I can leave, I will take the first train.

            Do you know where you are going?

In each of these examples there are two clauses joined by a question word. Notice that the subjects and verbs that follow the question words what, when, and where are not inverted in this case.

SKILL 14 INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH PLACE EXPRESSIONS

After ideas expressing place, the subject and the verb sometimes invert in English. This can happen with single words expressing place, such as here, there, or nowhere.

            Here is the book that you lent me.

            There are the keys that I thought I

            Nowhere have I seen such beautiful weather.

In the first example. The place word here causes the subject book to come after the verb is. In the second example the place word there causes the subject keys to come after the verb are. In the last example the place word nowhere causes the subject I to come after the verb have.

The subject and verb can also be inverted after prepositional phrases expressing place.

            In the closet are the clothes that you want.

            Around the corner is Sam’s house.

            Beyond the mountains lies the town where you will live.

Example :

   1.      The town council is not sure why have the land developers changed their palins.

   2.      Never in the world I believed that this would happen.

   3.      The day might have been a little more enjoyable hand the sun been out a little more.

   4.      Only once did the judge take the defense lawyer’s suggetions.

   5.      Down the hall to the left the offices are that need to be painted.

   6.      Did the scientist explain what he put in the beaker?

   7.      Hardly ever it snows in this section of the country.

   8.      Elijah scored more points in yesterday’s basketball final than had any other player in history.

   9.      In the state of California, earthquakes occur regularly.

  10.  He should ever call again, please tell him that I am not at home. 

TOEFL EXERCISE choose letter of the word or group of words that best completes the sentence.

   1.      Rarely__ located near city lights or at lower elevations.

a.      Observatories are

b.      Are

c.       In the observatories

d.      Are observatories

   2.      There are geographic, economic and cultural reasons why__around the world.

a.      Diets differ

b.      Do diet differ

c.       Are diets different

d.      To differ a diet

   3.      Were__millions of dollars each year replenishing eroding beaches, the coastline would be changing even more rapidly.

a.      The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers not spending

b.      The U.S.  Army Corps of Engineers not spend

c.       The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not spend

d.      Not spending the U.S. Army Corps of  Engineers

   4.      Nowhere__more skewend than in  the auto industry.

a.       the retail trade figures

b.      Retail trade figures

c.       Are retail trade figures

d.      D. retail trade figures

   5.      New York City’s Central Park is nearly twice as large__second smallest country, Monaco.

a.      As

b.      Is the

c.       As is

d.      As is the

   6.      Potassium has a valence of positive one beacause it usually loses one electron when__with other elements.

a.      Does it combine

b.      It combines

c.       In combining

d.      Combination

   7.      The economic background of labor legislation will not bementioned in this course__be treated.

a.      Trade unionisw will not

b.      Nor trade unionism will

c.       Nor will trade unionism

d.      Neither trade unionism will

   8.      __test positive for antibiotics when tanker trucks arrive at a milk processing plant, according to federal law, the entire truckload must be discarded

a.      Should milk

b.      If milk

c.       If milk is

d.      Milk should

   9.      Located behind__ the two lacrimal glands.

a.      Each eyelid

b.      Is each eyelid

c.       Each eyelid are

d.      Each eyelid which is

   10.  Only for a short period of time__run at top speed

a.      Cheetahs

b.      Do cheetahs

c.       That a cheetah can

d.      Can