Choose the correct inversion after 'Not only':
'Not only ______ the hypothesis, but they also discovered a previously unknown bacterial strain.'
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. did they confirm
- Step 1: When 'not only' begins an independent clause, subject-auxiliary inversion with 'do/did/does' is required in the first clause.
- Step 2: The past tense requires auxiliary 'did' before subject 'they' followed by base verb 'confirm': 'did they confirm'.
Answer
did they confirm.
Why not the others: 'they confirmed' lacks inversion; 'they did confirm' places the auxiliary after the subject; 'confirmed they' is archaic Germanic inversion without auxiliary.
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