10-9. Инверсия

 
В утвердительных предложениях глагол обычно следует за подлежащим, но иногда это правило нарушается и такие случаи носят название инверсии.
Есть два вина инверсии:

Subject-verb inversion, когда весь глагол становится перед подлежащим – в таких случая часто правильны предложения и без инверсии.

Subject-operator inversion, когда перед подлежащим ставится только оператор - такая инверсия обычно обязательна, как и в тех случаях, когда она необходима в вопросительном предложении:

Her father stood in the doorway. → In the doorway stood her father (или ... 'her father stood'.)
He had rarely seen such a sunset. → Rarely had he seen such a sunset (не 'Rarely he had seen'...)

Как правило инверсию вызывает постановка в начало предложения элементов, которые там обычно не ставятся (fronting).

В разговоре обороты Here comes + noun и There goes + noun с инверсией употребляются, чтобы показать, что кто-то или что-то движется в сторону говорящего или от него:

Here comes the bus.
There goes Nigel Slater, the footballer.
Here comes... используют, чтобы сказать, что что-то скоро произойдет, а There goes... – когда речь идет о чем-то (обычно деньгах), что теряется, а также о звонящем телефоне или дверном звонке:
Here comes lunch.
My bike's been stolen! There goes $100!
There goes the phone. Can you answer it?

При рассказе, чтобы подчеркнуть изменение в ходе действий, инверсия употребляется с наречными частицами (along, away, back, down, in, off, out, up и др.) и такими глаголами как come, fly, go:

The door opened and in came the doctor (менее формально: ... and the doctor came in.)
As soon as I let go of the string, up went the balloon, high into the sky. (менее формально: ...the balloon went up...)
Just when I thought I'd have to walk home, along came Miguel and he gave me a lift. (менее формально: ... Miguel came along and gave me...)

■ Инверсия употребляется в некоторых случаях использования условных предложений:

It would be a serious setback, if the talks were to fail.
It would be a serious setback, were the talks to fail.

If you should need more information, please telephone our main office.
Should you need more information, please telephone our main office.

If Alex had asked, I would have been able to help.
Had Alex asked, I would have been able to help.

В случае инверсии не употребляются сокращенные формы:

Had the plane not been diverted, they would have arrived early (не 'Hadn't the plane'...)

■ При формальном письме инверсия часто употребляется после as и than при сравнении:

The cake was excellent, as was the coffee ( ...as the coffee was.)
I believed, as did my colleagues, that the plan would work ( ...as my colleagues did, that the plan would work.)
Research shows that parents watch more television than do their children ( ...than their children do.)

Но инверсия не употребляется, если подлежащим является местоимение:

We now know a lot more about the Universe than we did ten years ago (не ...than did we ten years ago.)

■ Инверсия после обстоятельств с негативным значением

В достаточно формальной или литературной речи обстоятельства с негативным значением могут ставится в начало предложения. В этом случае происходит инверсия второго типа (в простом времени используется оператор do).
Это бывает в следующих случаях:

■ обстоятельства времени never (before), rarely, seldom; barely/hardly/scarcely...when/before; no sooner... than:

Seldom do we have goods returned to us because they are faulty.
Hardly had everybody taken their seats when Dr Smith began his lecture.

■ обороты, выражающие время, с only – only after, only later, only if, only once, only then, only when:

She bought a newspaper and some sweets at the shop on the corner. Only later did she realize that she'd been given the wrong change.
Only once did I go to the opera the whole time I was in Italy.
Only when she apologises will I speak to her again.

■ only + предложный оборот - only by..., only in..., only with... и т.п.:

Only by chance had Jameson discovered where the birds were nesting.
Mary had to work in the evenings and at weekends. Only in this way was she able to complete the report by the deadline.

■ такие выражения как at no time, in no way, on no account, under/in no circumstances:

At no time did they actually break the rules of the game.
Under no circumstances are passengers permitted to open the doors themselves.

■ выражения с not... – not only, not until, not since, not for one moment и not a + noun:

Not until August did the government order an inquiry into the accident.
Not a word had she written since the exam had started,

■ Little с отрицательным значением:

Little do they know how lucky they are to live in such a wonderful house. (= 'they don't know' or 'they don't know sufficiently')
Little did I realize that one day Michael would become famous. (= 'I didn't realise' or ‘I didn't realise sufficiently')

Также инверсия случается после придаточных предложений, которые начинаются с only after/if/when или not until:

Only when the famine gets worse will world governments begin to act.
Not until the train pulled into Euston Station did Jim find that his coat had gone.

Другие случаи инверсии

■ Инверсия происходит когда so + adjective ставится в начале слова, чтобы сделать смысловое ударение на прилагательном (в простом времени добавляется оператор do):

Her business was so successful that Marie was able to retire at the age of 50.
So successful was her business, that Marie was able to retire at the age of 50.
The weather conditions became so dangerous that all mountain roads were closed.
So dangerous did weather conditions become, that all mountain roads were closed.

■ Such + be в начале предложения подчеркивает уровень чего-либо:

Such is the popularity of the play that the theatre is likely to be full every night.
The play is so popular that the theatre is likely to be full every night.

■ Neither или nor в начале второй части предложения вводит негативное добавление к тому, что было сказано в первой части:

For some time after the explosion Jack couldn't hear, and neither could he see.
The council never wanted the new supermarket to be built, nor did local residents.

Инверсия также употребляется в таки выражениях как ‘Neither/Nor do I’, ‘Neither/Nor does Kate (etc.)’ и ‘So do I’, ‘So does Becky (etc.)’.

Инверсия в косвенной речи

■ Инверсия часто употребляется в косвенной речи:

'That's the whole trouble', said Gwen, laughing slightly.

Но инверсия обычно не употребляется, если

a) подлежащим является местоимение (без специального ударения на нем):

'The safety record at Stansted is first class', he said.

b) глагольная форма составная (содержит вспомогательный глагол):

'Konrad Schneider is the only one who matters', Reinhold had answered.

c) за глаголом следует существительное или местоимение, выражающее того, к кому обращаются:

There's so much to living that I did not know before, Jackie had told her happily.