Inversion is the placing of words or whole phrases in the reverse of their usual order in a sentence. It can serve a grammatical or a rhetorical purpose.
Inversion is the placing of words or whole phrases in the reverse of their usual order in a sentence. Inversion can serve a grammatical role, such as making a sentence into a question, or a rhetorical role, such as emphasizing one of the inverted elements.
Grammatical uses of inversion
An example of inversion to make a statement into a question: “The restaurant is open” becomes “Is the restaurant open?”
An example of inversion to form the subjunctive mood: “Should he get hungry, a restaurant is nearby.”
An example of inversion with negation: “Never before has he eaten at an Ethiopian restaurant.”
Rhetorical uses of inversion
An example of inversion for emphasis: “To me she spoke.”
An example of inversion for grand style: “With songs and good wishes began the new year.”
Two examples of inversion for meter and rhyme:
Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl
And he called for his fiddlers three.
