What pollution problems are there nowadays in your hometown?
🌱 Green Issues: Why Action Cannot Wait
Environmental concerns are no longer a distant debate; they are a
pressing reality. Seldom have I seen such a determined person as the
young campaigner who convinced her community to reduce plastic waste. Her drive
reminds us that meaningful change often begins with individual actions.
Little did the children know they were in for so many adventures
together in the future when they joined a school project to clean rivers.
Beyond fun, it was an education in resilience. Only when they start
performing will they discover any hidden talents they might have, such as
leadership, creativity, or problem-solving skills crucial for building a
sustainable future.
Not until the 20th century did travelling become a widespread
phenomenon, but with it came the overuse of planes, cars, and cruise ships.
Never before had Sonia ever had such a feeling of freedom and strength
as when she chose cycling over driving, realizing that sustainable travel is
also empowering.
Still, disasters remind us of the stakes. Under no circumstances can
we allow this kind of accident to happen again, whether it’s an oil spill
or uncontrolled deforestation. On no account should we assume our planet
will always provide us with enough food, especially as climate change
threatens agriculture.
Hardly had he finished the sentence when the telephone rang,
announcing yet another environmental emergency. At no time when she was in
Paris was Carlota really aware of her true feelings about consumerism until
she saw the waste after a festival.
No sooner did he finish his studies than he decided to become a
wildlife photographer, determined to defend biodiversity. Nowhere else
in the world will you find this strange-sounding but lovely bird, now at
risk of extinction. And remember: Not only do private cars contribute to
this chaos in our cities, they also pollute the air.
Protecting the planet is not optional—it is a moral obligation we
share. Unless we transform awareness into collective action, future generations
will inherit a world defined by scarcity, pollution, and loss. By rethinking
how we live, travel, and consume, we can ensure that sustainability is not a
choice for the privileged few but a necessity embraced by all. The time to act
is now, and history will judge us on the urgency with which we respond.
https://www.topworksheets.com/t/quWFk6fYpRE
What was the recording of the last listening activity about?
What differences are there in following sets of sentences?
Set 1:
Actually, I thought he had
quite a pleasant voice.
Actually did I think he
had quite a pleasant voice.
Actually I thought, did
he have a pleasant voice.
Set 2:
It was over-ambitious,
really, wasn’t it?
Really was it over-ambitious,
wasn’t it?
Set 3:
Actually, they’ve now said
that if this scheme doesn’t go ahead they’ll find another buyer for the land,
so doing nothing with it isn’t an option, either.
Actually, now have they
said that if this scheme doesn’t go ahead they’ll find another buyer for the
land, so doing nothing with it isn’t an option, either.
We use inversion to emphasise what we're saying. It makes our sentence sound surprising or striking or unusual. It also sounds quite formal. If you don't want to give this impression, you can put the negative expression later in the sentence in the normal way:
- Seldom have I seen such beautiful work.
('Seldom' is at the beginning, so we use inversion. This sentence emphasizes what beautiful work it is.) - I have seldom seen such beautiful work.
('Seldom' is in the normal place, so we don't use inversion. This is a normal sentence with no special emphasis.)
Here are some negative adverbs and adverb phrases that we often use with inversion:
| Hardly | Hardly had I got into bed when the telephone rang. |
| Never | Never had she seen such a beautiful sight before. |
| Seldom | Seldom do we see such an amazing display of dance. |
| Rarely | Rarely will you hear such beautiful music. |
| Only then | Only then did I understand why the tragedy had happened. |
| Not only ... but | Not only does he love chocolate and sweets but he also smokes. |
| No sooner | No sooner had we arrived home than the police rang the doorbell. |
| Scarcely | Scarcely had I got off the bus when it crashed into the back of a car. |
| Only later | Only later did she really think about the situation. |
| Nowhere | Nowhere have I ever had such bad service. |
| Little | Little did he know! |
| Only in this way | Only in this way could John earn enough money to survive. |
| In no way | In no way do I agree with what you're saying. |
| On no account | On no account should you do anything without asking me first. |
Inversion in statements with full adverbial clauses at the beginning.
| Not until | Not until I saw John with my own eyes did I really believe he was safe. |
| Not since | Not since Lucy left college had she had such a wonderful time. |
| Only after | Only after I'd seen her flat did I understand why she wanted to live there. |
| Only when | Only when we'd all arrived home did I feel calm. |
| Only by | Only by working extremely hard could we afford to eat. |
We only use inversion when the adverb modifies the whole phrase and not when it modifies the noun: Hardly anyone passed the exam. (No inversion.)
Source: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/inversion.html
Uses
of Inersion in Academic or Formal English and Daily Life
🔹
1. Rules & Instructions
Academic /
Formal:
- Inversion makes rules more impersonal, universal,
and emphatic.
- At no time shall plagiarism be
tolerated in academic writing.
- Only after completing the
prerequisites may students register for the seminar.
Daily Life:
- Polite notices, official warnings, or service
interactions.
- Should you need assistance,
contact reception.
- Under no circumstances should
passengers open the emergency door.
Collaborative Online Exercise about Word Order Inversion on Wordwall
https://wordwall.net/resource/56043689
Collaborative exercise 1 on page 57
Inversion online exercise
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/inversion-exercise-1.html
🔹 2. Descriptions / Explanations
Academic / Formal:
- Used in essays, reports, or descriptive analysis to emphasize rarity or significance.
- Seldom has architecture reflected cultural values as vividly as in the Gothic period.
- So influential was Newton’s work that it shaped centuries of scientific thought.
Daily Life:
- Storytelling or casual emphasis.
- Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset.
- Rarely do we get such heavy rain in March.
🔹 3. Narratives / Storytelling
Academic / Literary Style:
- Creates drama and suspense in formal reports, novels, or biographies.
- Hardly had the negotiations begun when conflict broke out.
- No sooner had the king died than civil war erupted.
Daily Life:
- Casual stories told with surprise or exaggeration.
- Never have I laughed so much in my life!
- So shocked was he that he couldn’t say a word.
🔹 4. Accounts of Events in History
Academic / Formal:
- Inversion gives history writing a dramatic and authoritative tone.
- Never before had Europe witnessed such devastation as during the Black Death.
- Only after the Second World War did women gain greater access to higher education.
- Rarely has a single invention changed the world as profoundly as the printing press.
Daily Life:
- Everyday references to history or shared memory (less common, but possible in informal talk).
- Never had the town seen so many visitors until the Olympics came.
- Only after 2000 did smartphones become part of daily life.
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