英文倒裝句(Inversion Sentence)廣泛地受到學生們應用,不論在公開試或校內試中,若同學在一般寫作上用了倒裝句,再配合運用其他修辭技巧,分數也會較高。
在句子中,Subject通常放Verb之前;所謂倒裝句,就是把Verbs及Auxiliary verbs放在不同結構的Subject之前。換句話說,就是使用帶有否定或限制性含義的副詞(adverbial),之後把問句的詞序結構放在句子上,舉例說明:
Never have I seen such a hardworking student. 即是:
I have never seen such a hardworking student.
Rarely do I go shopping on weekends. 即是:
I rarely go shopping on weekends.
把句子倒裝的原因,一般是想強調句子當中的一部分,另外也希望帶出戲劇性/詩意的效果(dramatic/poetic effect),或是提升整個句子的formality。一般每天常用的英語(Everyday English)是極少用倒裝句的。
同學在建立倒裝句時,一般犯下最大的毛病是在時態上(Problem with Verb Tenses),舉例說明:No sooner have I locked the door than I had realised I had left my purse inside.
同學想用「No sooner... than」的句子結構去解釋把門鎖上之後才發現銀包留在屋內,但時態的表達不正確,整個句子也應該用Past Tense;但在描述過去發生的事的先後次序,我們務必要用Past Perfect Tense。
正確寫法是:No sooner had I locked the door than I realised I had left my purse inside.
再以近期巴黎聖母院大火一事舉例:
Not until the Notre-Dame has been made safe could any visitors go back inside.
同學不時都可以在文學作品當中感受到倒裝句的節奏感及所發揮出來的戲劇效果。J.R.R.Tolkein(托爾金)在作品「The Hobbit(《哈比人》)」中有一個簡潔的倒裝句,「In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.」最易明白理解。
So challenging has English grammar developed that only hardworking students can fathom its complexities.