The interrogative is not the only case in which English requires an inversion of the verb and auxiliary, as in Do you see? Have you eaten? Did he ask? Have they been singing? and so on.
A negative first word in the sentence causes inversion.
The negatives are:
- Neither
- Nor
- Never
- Not only
So we have, for example, the following phrases that refer back to something previously said or written:
Neither do I; Neither would you ; Neither should you; Nor can he; neither will you; Nor ought they; Nor could he; Nor do I; Nor should you; Nor would I... and so on
- Never have I seen such a beautiful bird as this
- Never did I hear of such a thing,
- Never have so many owed so much to so few.
- Not only did he eat my cheese, he also stole my favorite pillow and criticized my decor.
- Not only should you sue, you should also stage a protest.
- Not only has the prime minister destroyed the British economy in a week, she has also destroyed the reputation, such as it was, of the country.
- Scarcely had I arrived when the phone rang.
- Hardly had I sat down to eat when the doorbell rang.
- Little did I know what awaited me.
- Not only did she sing beautifully, but she also played the piano with great skill.
- I don't want to wish him happy birthday; neither do I want to go to his party.
- Nor will I contribute to buying him a gift.
- Only then did I realize my mistake.
- Only after I had finished my work did I relax.
- In no way should you accept such a proposal.
- Under no circumstances should you reveal this information.
- Seldom have I seen such a beautiful sunset.
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