Inversion with Negative Adverbials
Place auxiliary before subject after never, rarely, no sooner.
Examples
- Never have I seen such beauty.
Key rules
- After negative adverbials at the start, use auxiliary + subject + verb
- Examples: never, rarely, seldom, hardly, no sooner, not only, under no circumstances
- Hardly ... when and no sooner ... than
- No auxiliary needed if one already exists
Common mistakes
- Never I have seen it โ Never have I seen it
- No sooner he arrived than it rained โ No sooner had he arrived than it rained
๐ก Tip: It is formal and emphatic.