... as were such films as ....

[wotcha]

"The television series X-Files was filmned here, as were such featuresa as Scary Movie 2 and Jumanji".


Why the inversion happens in the red clause?

 

[5jj]

"The television series X-Files was film[STRIKE]n[/STRIKE]ed here, as were such features[STRIKE]a[/STRIKE] as Scary Movie 2 and Jumanji".

Why does the inversion happen[STRIKE]s[/STRIKE] in the red clause?

My English teacher told me about this, as did my French teacher.

Czechs drink more beer than do Belgians, Germans or Austrians..

So angry was I at her behaviour, that I had to leave the party.

We can put the verb before the subject with as, so and than. This is quite formal, and we do not have to do it except when so begins the sentence.

My English teacher told me about this, as my French teacher did.

Czechs drink more beer than Belgians, Germans or Austrians do.

So angry was I at her behaviour, that I had to leave the party.
I was so angry at her behaviour that I had to leave the party,

 

[Raymott]

"The television series X-Files was filmned here, as were such features as Scary Movie 2 and Jumanji".


Why the inversion happens in the red clause?
Why does the inversion happen in the red clause? (Unlike the above, this is necessary.)

It's not absolutely necessary, but after 'as' (meaning 'like') it's usual.
"The television series X-Files was filmed here, as such features as Scary Movie 2 and Jumanji were" is grammatically possible, but not usual.


1. "John is a good friend, as is Peter".
2. "John is a good friend, as Peter is." (This, in a longer sentence, could be heard as 3.)
(Note the commas)

Don't confuse this with a comparative "as", where we don't normally invert, and don't use a comma.
3. "John is as good a friend as Peter is." Yes
4. "John is as good a friend as Peter." Yes
5. "John is as good a friend as is Peter". Not usually. This, in a longer sentence, would probably be heard as 1.
(Note the absence of commas)

PS: Posted before reading fjj

 

[Raymott]

My English teacher told me about this, as my French teacher did.
This one doesn't exemplify the inversion that wotcha was asking about. But yes, it's good.

This is an exception to prove my rule that we don't usually do this. ;-)
"My English teacher told me about this, as did my French teacher." Sometimes either way is as good as the other.

 

[philo2009]

"The television series X-Files was filmned here, as were such featuresa as Scary Movie 2 and Jumanji".


Why the inversion happens in the red clause?

Inversion can occur after 'as' when it functions, as here, as a sentential relative pronoun (in contrast to its more common function as either an adverb or a conjunction) and is followed by an auxiliary verb standing alone (i.e. in either an elliptical or a pro-form construction).

The inversion is always optional, but may vary in terms of naturalness depending on the auxiliary verb concerned, so that e.g.

[1] I have devoted my life to pig-farming, as did my father before me.

is arguably even more idiomatic than

[1a] I have devoted my life to pig-farming, as my father did before me.

whereas

[2] ?I can do large sums in my head, as could you if you only practised.

is considerably less so than

[2a] I can do large sums in my head, as you could...

(As a very rough general guide, it tends to work less well with modal than with non-modal auxiliaries.)