Skill 16: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH PLACE EXPRESSIONS
After ideas expressing place, the subject and the verb sometimes invert in English. This can happen with single words expressing place, such as “here, there, or nowhere”.
Here is the book that you lent me.
There are the that I thought I lost.
Nowhere have I seen such beautiful weather.
In the first example the place word here causes the subject “book” to come after the verb “is”. In the second example the place word “there” causes the subject “keys” to come after the verb “are”. In the last example the place word “nowhere” causes the subject “I” to come after the verb “have”.
The subject and verb can also be inverted after prepositional phrases expressing place.
In the closet are the clothes that you
Around the corner is Sam's house.
Beyond the mountains lies the town where you will live.
In the first example the prepositional phrase of place “in the closet” causes the subject “clothes” to come after the verb “are”. In the second example the prepositional phrase of place “around the corner” causes the subject “house” to come after the verb “is”. In the last example the prepositional phrase of place “beyond the mountains” causes the subject “town” to come after the verb “lies”.
It is important (and a bit difficult) to understand that the subject and verb will invert after place expressions at the beginning of a sentence only when the place expression is necessary to complete the sentence. Study the following examples:
In the forest are many exotic birds.
In the forest l walked for many hours.
In the first example the subject “birds” and verb “are” are inverted because the place expression “in the forest” is needed to complete the idea “many exotic birds are…” In the second example the subject “l” and the verb “walked” are not inverted because the idea “I walked for many hours” is complete without the place expression “in the forest”; the place expression is therefore not needed to complete the sentence.
Example:
On the second level of the parking lot _____.
(A) is empty
(B) are empty
(C) some empty stalls are
(D) are some empty stalls
Answer:
This example begins with the place expression “on the second level of the parking lot”, which consists of two prepositional phrases, “on the second level” and “of the Parking lot”. This sentence needs a subject and a verb to be complete, and the two answers that contain both a subject “stalls” and verb “are” are answers (C) and (D). The subject and verb should be inverted because the place expression is necessary to complete the idea “some empty stalls are…” The best answer is therefore answer (D).
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