negative inversion

[ostap77]

I'm writing a report on the American diet. So would be this sentence correct?

"There are a lot of foods that are of (the) American origin. Not only did Italy have no tomatoes,( but) Switzerland and Spain had no vanilla, chocolate or bell peppers before America was discovered by Europeans." Is it OK with the inversion?

 

[Barb_D]

I'm writing a report on the American diet. So would be this sentence correct?

"There are a lot of foods that are of the American origin. Not only did Italy have no tomatos, there were Switzerland and Spain that had no vanilla, chocolate or bell peppers before America was discovered by Europians." Is it OK with the inversion?

No, the inversion is not correct.
, there was no vanilla, chocolate or bell peppers in Switzerland and Spain.
, Switzerland and Spain had no vanilla, chocolate or bell peppers.

 

[5jj]

No, the inversion is not correct.
, there was no vanilla, chocolate or bell peppers in Switzerland and Spain.
, Switzerland and Spain had no vanilla, chocolate or bell peppers.

Surely the inversion in Not only did Italy have no tomatoes is correct?

 

[bhaisahab]

I think the inversion is OK but there are other problems, "Not only did Italy have no tomatoes, Switzerland and Spain had no vanilla, chocolate or bell peppers before America was discovered by Europeans." This is OK IMO.

 

[5jj]

"Not only did Italy have no tomatoes, Switzerland and Spain had no vanilla, chocolate or bell peppers before America was discovered by Europeans." This is OK IMO.

This may well be a very personal thing, but for me it would sound more natural if we had but before Switzerland.

 

[Barb_D]

I didn't check spelling.

 

[tipu s]

This may well be a very personal thing, but for me it would sound more natural if we had but before Switzerland.

Only "but" OR "but Switzerland and Spain also had......" ??

 

[bhaisahab]

Only "but" OR "but Switzerland and Spain also had......" ??

No, "also" doesn't work there.

 

[ostap77]

No, "also" doesn't work there.

I've corrected my mistakes. Is it OK now?

 

[Dood.]

I thought that a "...but," was imply, when beginning a sentence with "Not only".
As fivejedjon suggested it.
And what if you add "...but Switzerland and Spain had no vanilla, chocolate or bell peppers either, before America was discovered by Europeans." Meaning that they didn't have any of these things.
Does it sound correct ?

Dood.
-----
Not a teacher's opinion

 

[bhaisahab]

I've corrected my mistakes. Is it OK now?

You don't need the article before "American origin".

 

[ostap77]

You don't need the article before "American origin".

Do we need the article before the American diet then?

 

[bhaisahab]

Do we need the article before the American diet then?

Yes, we do.