Emphatic inversion 2

Ex. Use emphatic inversion to paraphrase the following sentences so that the meaning remains as similar as possible.

1. We have seldom faced such a serious threat.
Seldom .............................................................
2. I have never witnessed so much cruelty.
Never ...............................................................
3. The novel was so popular that people queued for hours to buy a copy.
So .....................................................................
4. The book was in such great demand that people queued for hours to buy a copy.
Such .................................................................
5. The moment the sun came out, tourists flocked to the beach.
Hardly ..............................................................
6. As soon as Fiona began her lecture, the microphone broke down.
No sooner ........................................................
7. I didn't think she was in trouble at all.
Not for .............................................................
8. The children came home and only then realised their dog was missing.
Not until ..........................................................
9. The minister did not realise a detective was following him.
Little ...............................................................
10. The war caused not only a humanitarian crisis but also an economic one.
Not only..........................................................
11. You may be smart but you can't be lazy if you want to succeed.
Smart .............................................................
12. I like Tracy but I could never be her boyfriend.
Much .............................................................
13. The princess almost never talks about her private life.
Rarely ...........................................................
14. The student failed mathematics and often played truant.
Not only ........................................................
15. You can learn English only if you work hard.
Only .............................................. succeed ..................


KEY
1. Seldom have we faced such a serious threat. 2. Never have I witnessed so much cruelty. 3. So popular was the novel that people queued for hours to buy a copy. 4. Such was the demand for the book that ... 5. Hardly had the sun come out when tourists flocked to the beach. 6. No sooner had Fiona begun her lecture than the microphone broke down. 7. Not for a (single) moment did I think she was in trouble. 8. Not until the children came home did they realise their dog was missing. 9. Little did the minister realise that a detective was following him. 10. Not only did the war cause a humanitarian crisis, nut it also caused an economic crisis/one. 11. Smart as/though you are, you can't be lazy if you want to succeed. 12. Much as I like Tracy, I could never be her boyfriend. 13. Rarely does the princess talk about her private life. 14. Not only did the student fail mathematics, but he/she also often played truant. 15. Only by working hard can you succeed in learning English.

Adjectives and adverbs

I. Correct the errors in the following sentences and put a tick next to those which are correct.

e.g. Kate is well at maths. good

1. The house looked very largely. 2. This book is usefuller than that one. 3. Henry is my elder brother. 4. This is the older theatre in Manchester. 5. John worked very hardly and passed his exam with flying colours. 6. Do I look well in this dress? 7. Drive more fastly or we’ll be late. 8. This is the boringest lecture I’ve been to. 9. Just wait here and I’ll get the car ready. 10. I don’t want to paint the house pinkly.

II. Put the adjectives and other modifiers in the correct order.

1. the (large/three/brick/first/brown) houses   2. those (metal/ugly/flower/other) pots  

3. a(n) (old/English/beautiful) garden, 4. the (extraordinary/next/military) victory   

5. those (pretty/blue/little/four) flowers   6. a (brown/mahogany/small/square) box   7. a (young/polite/-faced/handsome) man   8. a(n) (Japanese/green/big/sports) car   9. that (terrifying/fierce/big) Alsatian   10. (Riding/Red/Little) Hood

III. Decide which of the two sentences in each pair is incorrect and explain why. 

1. a) The weather was depressing. b) Jane was depressing.

2. a) The cat was still alive. b) It was an alive cat.

3. a) Ban Ki-Moon is the General-Secretary of the UN. b) He is the Secretary-General of the UN.

4. a) He’s a mere child. b) This child is mere.

5. a) She was an afraid girl. b) She was afraid.

6. a) That was a three-mile-long road. b) That was a three-miles road. 7. a) These are my running shoes. b) These shoes of mine are running.

KEY

I. 1. large, 2. more useful, 3. OK, 4. oldest, 5. hard, 6. good, 7. faster, 8. most boring, 9. OK, 10. pink

II. 1. the first three large brown brick houses, 2. those other ugly metal flower pots, 3. a beautiful old English garden, 4. the next extraordinary military victory, 5. those four pretty little blue flowers, 6. a small square brown mahogany box, 7. a polite handsome-faced young man, 8. a big green Japanese sports car, 9. that terrifying big fierce Alsatian, 10. Little Red Riding Hood

III. 1. b) a person can be depressed 2. b) Alive can be used only after a verb, 3. a) General after the noun means ‘the most important person, the president’, 4. b) You cannot use mere before a noun, 5. a) You cannot use afraid before a noun, 6. b) You cannot use the plural in the attributive position., 7. b) Running denotes a purpose, not something the shoes do on their own.