The place of prepositions

§ 118. The usual place of a preposition is between the words the relation of which it denotes. However, in some cases it may be placed at the end of the sentence. These cases are:

1. When the prepositional object (a wordor aclause) is in front

position.

This I can dispense with.

What he says you can rely on.

2. When the prepositional object is made the subject of a passive

construction.

He was much laughed at.

The bed has not been slept in.

3. In questions and exclamations, when the object is placed in front

position.

Who are you speaking to?

What a nice girl she has grown into!

4. In contact attributive clauses in which the object to the predicate

belongs to the main clause or is only implied.

It is the very thing I've always dreamed of.

It appeared better than we dared to hope for.

Inverted word order

§ 119. Another common pattern of word order is the inverted one (or inversion). We distinguish full inversion (when the predicate precedes the subject, as in Here comes the lady of the house) and partial inversion (when only part of the predicate precedes the subject, as in Happy may you be!). Some grammarians also distinguish double inversion (when parts of the predicate are placed separately before the subject, as in Hanging on the wall was a picture).

§ 120. In some cases inversion may be taken as a normal order of words in constructions with special communicative value, and is thus devoid of any special colouring. In other cases inversion is a sort of reordering for stylistic effect or for emphasis. First we enumerate those cases where inversion is a normal word order.

1. Inversion is used to distinguish between the communicative types of sentences. With this function it is employed in:

a) General questions, polite requests and in tag questions.

Is it really true?

Won’t you have a cup of tea?

You are glad to see me, aren’t you?

b) Pronominal questions, except questions to the subject and its

attribute, where direct word order is used.

What are the police after?

c) There -sentences with the introductory non-­local there, followed

by one of the verbs denoting existence, movement, or change of

the situation.

There has been an accident.

There is nothing in it.

There appeared an ugly face over the fence.

There occurred a sudden revolution in public taste.

There comes our chief.

d) Exclamatory sentences expressing wish, despair, indignation, or other strong

emotions.

Long live the king!

Come what may!

e) Exclamatory sentences which are negative in form but positive

in meaning.

Have I not watched them! (= I have watched them.)

Wouldn’t that be fun! (= It would be fun.)

f) Negative imperative sentences.

Don’t you do it.

2. Inversion is used as a grammatical means of subordination in some complex sentences joined without connectors:

a) In conditional clauses.

Were you sure of it, you wouldn’t hesitate.

Had she known it before, she wouldn’t have made this mistake.

b) In concessive clauses.

Proud as he was, he had to consent to our proposal.

c) In the second part of a sentence of proportional agreement

(although inversion is not obligatory in this case).

The more he thought of it, the less clear was the matter.

3. Inversion is used in sentences beginning with adverbs denoting place. This usage is traditional, going back to OE norms.

Here is another example.

There goes another bus (туда идет еще один автобус, еще автобус идет).

4. Inversion is used in stage directions, although this use is limited to certain verbs.

Enter the King, the Queen.

Enter Beatie Bryant, an ample blond.

5. Inversion may be used in sentences indicating whose words or thoughts are given as direct or indirect speech. These sentences may intro­duce, interrupt, or follow the words in direct or indirect speech, or may be given in parenthesis.

“That’s him,” said Tom (Tom said).

How did he know, thought Jack, miserably.

Direct word order can also be used here.

6. Inversion is used in statements showing that the remark applies equally to someone or something else.

I am tired. - So am I.

He isn’t ready. - Neither is she.

Note:

If the sentence is a corroboration of a remark just made, direct word order is used.

You promised to come and see me. - So I did.

We may meet him later. - So we may.

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