Inversion Exercises PDFSet 4: Mixed Inversion Practice
20 questions·18 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.Rarely ___ a more compelling argument in a courtroom.
a) has a lawyer presentedb) a lawyer has presentedc) a lawyer presentedd) presenting a lawyer
2.Only after years of research ___ a cure for the disease.
a) scientists discoveredb) did scientists discoverc) scientists did discoverd) discovering scientists
3.___ the government acted sooner, the crisis could have been averted.
a) Ifb) Shouldc) Hadd) Were
4.So thorough ___ that every flaw was identified.
a) the inspection wasb) the inspection isc) the inspection had beend) was the inspection
5.Not only ___ the budget, but the project was also delivered late.
a) did they exceedb) they exceededc) they did exceedd) exceeding they
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.has a lawyer presented
2.did scientists discover
3.Had
4.was the inspection
5.did they exceed
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."has a lawyer presented"(a)
'Rarely' at the front triggers inversion: 'Rarely has a lawyer presented...' The present perfect auxiliary 'has' moves before the subject 'a lawyer'.
2."did scientists discover"(b)
'Only after...' at the front triggers inversion in the main clause: 'Only after years of research did scientists discover...' Use 'did' + base form for past simple.
3."Had"(c)
Third conditional inversion: 'Had the government acted sooner...' = 'If the government had acted sooner...' The past perfect auxiliary 'had' replaces 'if' at the front.
4."was the inspection"(d)
'So + adjective' at the front triggers inversion: 'So thorough was the inspection that every flaw was identified.' The verb 'was' moves before the subject.
5."did they exceed"(a)
'Not only' at the front requires inversion: 'Not only did they exceed the budget...' The second clause with 'but...also' keeps normal word order.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
Prefer practicing online?
Try our interactive exercises with instant feedback.