Know inversion with negative adverbials: Never

Never have I heard such a sound

Frankly, the Negative Adverbial “never” is not often used. 

Yet, when the Adverbial “never” is uttered, it causes the sentence to be dramatic. 

Here’s a short story with the Negative Adverbial “never.” 

It’s a quiet Sunday. Ann is drinking her morning tea and reading the paper. Typical headlines are printed in black ink across the page: Firefighters Save Cat from Tree and etc. Ann thinks to herself as she reads, there’s really nothing going on today.

But suddenly, there’s a loud crash! In shock, Ann looks up from her paper and says “Never have I heard such a sound!” Worried there was an earthquake, Ann investigates.

It was just chopsticks and a bowl falling from the dryer. 

Notice how Ann used the Negative Adverbial “never” to express her state of shock over the loud noise. There are many ways she could’ve expressed shock, but using a Negative Adverbial was appropriate for the situation.

A bit about grammar

Where should I put the Negative Adverbial Never in a full sentence?

To use an Inversion with the Negative Adverbial “never,” follow this simple formula. 

Examples of the Adverbial Never

Never have I seen such a beautiful painting. 

Never have they encountered such behavior. 

Never had Oscar met such a wonderful person.

Let’s practice 

Q1: Convert the sentence “I have never seen such a wonderful view” to a sentence with inversion. 

Answer: Never have I seen such a wonderful view.

Q2: Try making your own sentence. 

Q3: Never have I spent Christmas alone. How do you spend the holidays?

Eigooo the Chat English Training application

To improve your English, the best way is to practice every day.
Eigooo supports you with a 24/7 chat service with real teachers.

• You can chat with the teacher one-on-one.
• The teacher will make immediate corrections to your messages.
• No need to make a reservation. You can start whenever you want.
• The free trial is ready.

Sign up now and get free messages to try it out.