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Inversion (Never have I…, Not only…) – Worksheet 1

C1 Advanced WorksheetEnglish

This C1 worksheet practises inversion after negative and restrictive adverbials such as Never, Seldom, Not only, No sooner, Hardly, Little and Under no circumstances, as well as inverted conditionals. Learners move from forming the auxiliary and subject order to transforming, correcting and building full sentences. It suits upper-intermediate and advanced learners preparing for exams or developing a more formal, emphatic style.

items
38
Time
40 min
PDF
5 pages
Answer key
Included
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Exercise 1: Complete the sentences

Complete each sentence with the correct auxiliary and the subject in brackets, using inversion and the verb in the correct form.

Example: Never ___ (we / experience) such heat. → have we experienced

  1. Never (I / see) such a spectacular view.

  2. Rarely (she / complain) about her job, even when she is exhausted.

  3. Not only (they / lose) the match yesterday, but they also lost their captain to injury.

  4. No sooner (we / leave) the café than it began to snow.

  5. Seldom (the museum / be) this busy on a weekday.

  6. Little (Marco / know) that his friends were planning a surprise party.

  7. Only later (Aisha / realise) that she had left her passport at home.

  8. Not until next year (the new bridge / be) finished.

Exercise 2: Choose the right adverbial

Complete each sentence with a word or phrase from the box. Use each one once. There are two extra words you do not need.

Example: ___ in my life have I been so embarrassed. → Never

Word box No soonerHardlyLittleUnder no circumstancesNot onlyNot untilOnlySeldomSoSuch

  1. had I closed my eyes than the phone rang.

  2. had we left the house when it started to pour.

  3. did they suspect that their quiet guest was a famous novelist.

  4. should you share your password with anyone.

  5. does the company produce furniture, but it also designs interiors.

  6. the last guest had left did they start cleaning up.

  7. by working together will we find a solution.

  8. do we get snow in this part of the country.

Exercise 3: Rewrite the sentences

Rewrite each sentence so that it begins with the word or words in brackets. Keep the meaning the same.

Example: I have rarely felt so nervous. (Rarely) → Rarely have I felt so nervous.

  1. I have never tasted such delicious food. (Never)

  2. She speaks French and she also speaks Japanese. (Not only)

  3. As soon as he arrived, the meeting started. (No sooner)

  4. They didn't realise the truth until much later. (Not until)

  5. You must not open this door under any circumstances. (Under no circumstances)

  6. He had no idea how famous he would become. (Little)

  7. We rarely eat out these days. (Rarely)

  8. If I had known about the problem, I would have helped. (Had)

Exercise 4: Correct the mistakes

Each sentence contains one mistake. Write the corrected sentence.

Example: Seldom she goes to the cinema. → Seldom does she go to the cinema.

  1. Never I have seen such a mess in the kitchen.

  2. Not only she plays the piano, but she also sings beautifully.

  3. No sooner had the film started when the lights went out.

  4. Hardly had we sat down than the waiter brought the menus.

  5. Only after the exam did she felt relieved.

  6. Under no circumstances you should leave the building during the test.

  7. Little did they knew what was about to happen.

  8. Not until I read the email I understood the problem.

Exercise 5: Put the words in order

Put the words in the correct order to make sentences with inversion. Add punctuation where needed.

Example: often / rarely / do / so / I / feel / not → Rarely do I feel so … (example of the pattern only)

  1. have / never / such / I / a / heard / strange / story

  2. we / seldom / do / visit / relatives / our

  3. not / only / was / he / late / but / he / was / also / rude

  4. sooner / no / had / she / home / got / than / phone / the / rang

  5. had / I / known / would / I / have / come / earlier

  6. circumstances / no / under / you / are / to / allowed / smoke / here

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About this test

C1 English inversion worksheet: practise Never have I…, Not only…, No sooner…, Hardly…, Little did… and Had I known… with answers.

Topics covered

Negative inversionNot only… but alsoNo sooner… than / Hardly… whenLittle did / Not until / OnlyInverted conditionalsFormal and emphatic style

Notes for teachers

Start by contrasting a neutral sentence (I have never seen…) with its inverted version (Never have I seen…) and point out that inversion follows question word order, adding do/does/did in the present and past simple. Typical mistakes include forgetting the auxiliary (Not only she plays…), keeping the past form after did (did she felt), and mixing up No sooner… than with Hardly… when. As a follow-up, ask learners to write a short, dramatic story opening or a formal notice using at least five different inversion structures.

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