Analyze this construction: 'Not only did the student complete the extended essay early, but she also achieved an Excellence endorsement.' What syntactic phenomenon occurs in the first clause?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Negative inversion
- Step 1: Step 1: When a sentence begins with a negative or restrictive adverbial expression ('Not only', 'Never', 'Rarely', 'Seldom'), English grammar triggers subject-auxiliary inversion. Step 2. Step 2: The auxiliary 'did' precedes the subject 'the student', creating dramatic emphasis and elevated formal register ('Not only did the student...'). Answer: Negative inversion. Why not the others: It is standard, sophisticated formal negative inversion.
Practise more Formal Writing, Language Mechanics, Syntax and Cohesion.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed National Certificate of Educational Achievement mock tests.
More Formal Writing, Language Mechanics, Syntax and Cohesion questions
- Which of the following is an example of a comma splice error?
- What punctuation mark is used correctly to join two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction?
- Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?
- What is the grammatical function of an adverbial clause in formal essay writing?
- Which of the following sentences uses the active voice?
- What is 'nominalisation' in academic and formal prose?