Glizdka
Key Member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2019
- Member Type
- Other
- Native Language
- Polish
- Home Country
- Poland
- Current Location
- Poland
Hello, I'm not a native speaker, my first language doesn't use inversion quite like English does because it has a free word order to be chosen in pretty much any sentence and context.
I'm wondering how you, native speakers, feel about inversion. I know the theory, I'm just asking for whether I "feel" it like you do.
To me, in a language with as rigid syntax as in English, invertion makes the sentence more pronounced: "Hello, what's happened here? Why has the normal word order been changed here? Oh! This is why!". It adds that extra umpf to the sentence, it is more noticeable.
Interrogative sentences use inversion, because the fact you'd like to get an answer is worth noticing by the person you're talking to.
Negative clauses use inversion, because the fact something is not true, and shouldn't be mistaken for true, is worth clarifying.
Limiting clauses use inversion, because it is worth accentuating that these are the only circumstances.
"Oh boy, do I know what you mean!" uses inversion, because I "know" more than I can say.
Have I got it right? Do you have anything to add? Can you recommend a good read?
I'm wondering how you, native speakers, feel about inversion. I know the theory, I'm just asking for whether I "feel" it like you do.
To me, in a language with as rigid syntax as in English, invertion makes the sentence more pronounced: "Hello, what's happened here? Why has the normal word order been changed here? Oh! This is why!". It adds that extra umpf to the sentence, it is more noticeable.
Interrogative sentences use inversion, because the fact you'd like to get an answer is worth noticing by the person you're talking to.
Negative clauses use inversion, because the fact something is not true, and shouldn't be mistaken for true, is worth clarifying.
Limiting clauses use inversion, because it is worth accentuating that these are the only circumstances.
"Oh boy, do I know what you mean!" uses inversion, because I "know" more than I can say.
Have I got it right? Do you have anything to add? Can you recommend a good read?