And apart from "no way", are the other inversions used in informal speech?
Commonly used in books where the author wants to act smart. Never have I heard someone use it in daily speech without me thinking "what a weirdo".
Well damn. I feel like I use the "not only ..." version fairly often, but I definitely dont think I sound super formal. I also regularly use "hella" and "af" when speaking. Maybe I'm both overly formal and overly casual?
They have a connotation of being business-speak or a bit more formal and perhaps slightly old fashioned. I've certainly used such expressions in standard conversations but if someone used them regularly it might come across as a bit pretentious or someone who, for example, has a PhD and their fellow PhDs are whom they normally speak and associate with and that's just their way of talking.
Most of these are reasonably common. Some of them sound a little bit stilted or old-fashioned, but I can't give any real pattern or rule based on the way they're grouped here. Except I wouldn't use any of that first group of "time" ones. "Little did we know" is definitely used in informal speech pretty often, for dramatic emphasis.
Apart from the top section, they'd all be fairly commonly used in Ireland. In other countries they might get funny looks in everyday conversation but they all have their uses in emphasis or emotional situations.
Apart from "no way", the inverted forms are relatively formal or emphatic, and I would expect to see them more often in writing than in speech, and certainly more than in casual speech.
under no circumstances should you be unable to follow such a sentence, as they are common.
Honestly, inversion sounds "formal" or like prepared speech to me. Most of these sound like things that would be in a written speech or dialogue a character says. I doubt most people would come up with these spontaneously. They sound "dramatic". Of course they sound perfectly normal and are understandable, they just aren't how most people choose to say things in the spur of the moment. The 2 groups at the top sound the most out of the ordinary. The "not", "no", and "never, rarely..." groups sound ok. Most of these are things people would say spontaneously. I think what it is is we generally want to hear "who does what" "connector" "other thing". We have that template in our brains and want to just slot info in as we hear it. Every deviation from that costs brain energy. So I "want" to hear "We had just arrived home when we heard the news" rather than "Hardly had we arrived home when we heard the news". The shorter of an inversion, like the "not only..." or even "never have I..." the easier it is to work with (less of the statement is "out of place" so less brain energy is needed) so it's more commonly used.
Yes, many of these sound very "dramatic." Maybe a speech, or a Lone Ranger radio play, or a movie detective exposing the culprit, or a superhero narrating their stream or consciousness.
No sooner than, only if, only now, and not only are pretty common. Under no circumstances and in no way are used for emphasis or clarity about something important and not really to be formal/informal. The rest are more like something you’d hear in a speech, broadcast, or narration. You’d do well to avoid using them in conversation.
I’d these are used for emphasis and more formal/serious business talk or to draw attention to cause and effect. The only ones I’d say I don’t hear often are the ones relating to time.
Red section: The first three are more common like this: We had hardly arrived home when we heard the news I had barely opened the book when Mark put on music. We had scarcely finished talking when he made the call The last one (“no sooner had”) commonly appears exactly as it is “Scarcely” and “no sooner had…” are a more literary/formal than the others. Dark Orange section: All of these phrases are more common rearranged (“We can only save the company if we invest more money.”) They are not common to say out loud otherwise. More literary/formal. Light Orange section: The first two are very common. The second is not common. It would sound better to say “I haven’t had such a great time since I was a child.” Otherwise, you sound like a character in an old book. “Not in a million years will I ….” is common. “Not until I see her again will I…” is not common. Rearrange it. Orange-Yellow section: All of these are common. They sound just slightly formal/literary (except for “No way..”), but are normal to say. “In no way am I related to this man” would sound a little more natural in spoken English as “I am in no way related to this man.” The first way sounds like a stronger denial, and also is more likely to be seen in writing. Yellow section: “Never before have I…” is common. Only slightly literary/formal. “Rarely did they speak to each other” sounds like it’s in a book. If you say it in real life, say “They rarely spoke to each other.” “Seldom have we..” There’s no way you can say the word “seldom” at all and have it not sound formal/literary. “Little did we know…” is slightly formal/literary.
All are common enough to sound recognizable and natural, but “not only”, “under no circumstances”, “no way”, and “little did I know” are the only ones I think I’d actually say. The others sound more formal and I only ever really see them in written text.
the top ones are a little old, but the rest of these are pretty common they are quite formal language, in casual speech you would probably use the regular version instead. i.e.: rarely did they speak to eachother -> they spoke to eachother rarely. only if we invest more money can we save the company -> we can only save the company if we invest more money also, 'seldom' and 'little' are almost always used in this form. you CAN use them in the regular version, but it just sounds a bit off.
How do you define common? The first two groups are almost unheard of in conversational English. You hear the rest, but they are uncommon. They sound like a dramatic effect used in speeches or formal writing. That doesn't mean you never hear them at all in conversation, just that it's not common. I've probably heard someone use it in the last year, but I can't say for certain.
Seldom have I seen these outside of a story book or a formal speech that's trying to sell me on some good vibes (a commencement speech, a dedication to a new monument)
Please note that the inversion is essentially obligatory in most if not all of these constructions. However, there are plenty of alternative constructions available which do not require inversion; many people prefer these in less formal settings. "Not only did I wash the car, I vacuumed it too" > "I didn't just *wash* the car — I vacuumed it too" / "I washed the car. Not only that: I vacuumed it too".
If the negative adverbial is in sentence-initial position, inversion is not just common but obligatory.
Not and No are very common. The others would certainly be understood, but they are a little fancier - you see them more in writing or for emphasis.
Aside from a couple of set phrases (‘in no way’ ‘not in a million years’, ‘not only’) this is something that would ordinarily only be used in writing or formal, prepared speech.