[Grammar] [Inversion] Not very happy was Tom. // Not Tom was very happy.

[wotcha]

1. Tom was not very happy.

2. Not very happy was Tom.

3. Not Tom was very happy.


To emphasize a complement in a negative sentence, we put the complement and 'not' together

at the start of a sentence and an inversion occurs like sentence 2.


Then, what about sentence 3? Is this pattern possible?

 

[5jj]

Re: [Inversion] Not very happy was Tom. // No Tom was very happy.

To emphasize a complement in a negative sentence, we put the complement and 'not' together at the start of a sentence and an inversion occurs like sentence 2.

Where did you read that? Neither #2 nor #3 seems natural to me.

 

[wotcha]

Re: [Inversion] Not very happy was Tom. // No Tom was very happy.

Where did you read that? Neither #2 nor #3 seems natural to me.

2 is from one of the most famous Korean esl teachers and 3 is by me.

 

[5jj]

Re: [Inversion] Not very happy was Tom. // No Tom was very happy.

Stick with #1.

 

[Barb_D]

Re: [Inversion] Not very happy was Tom. // No Tom was very happy.

In fact, you could invert as you did with #2, but it's not common or natural, except in certain, usually older contexts. "Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he..."

#3 is flat out wrong.