← Back to Grammar

Inversion (倒置) - 完全ガイド

通常の語順 (SVO) を崩して、動詞/助動詞を主語の前に置く表現。フォーマルな文体や強調に使う。

1. Negative Adverb Inversion — 否定語句が文頭に来る時

Structure

Negative adverb + auxiliary + subject + main verb

Never / Rarely / Seldom / Hardly / Scarcely / Barely

  1. Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset. (こんな美しい夕焼けは見たことがない)
  2. Rarely does she make mistakes. (彼女はめったに間違えない)
  3. Seldom do we get such good weather. (こんなに良い天気はめったにない)
  4. Hardly had I arrived when the meeting started. (着いたとたんに会議が始まった)
  5. Scarcely had she sat down when the phone rang. (座った途端に電話が鳴った)
  6. Barely had we started eating when the fire alarm went off.
  7. Never before had I tasted such delicious food.
  8. Rarely have I been so impressed.

Not only ... but also

  1. Not only does she speak English, but she also speaks French. (英語だけでなくフランス語も話す)
  2. Not only did he arrive late, but he also forgot the documents.
  3. Not only is he talented, but he's also hardworking.
  4. Not only was the food terrible, but the service was awful too.

Not until / Not since

  1. Not until I got home did I realize I'd left my wallet. (家に着くまで財布を忘れたことに気づかなかった)
  2. Not since the war has the country faced such a crisis.
  3. Not until she told me did I know the truth.

At no time / In no way / On no account / Under no circumstances

  1. At no time did I say that. (そんなこと一度も言っていない)
  2. In no way is this acceptable. (これは決して受け入れられない)
  3. On no account should you open that door. (絶対にそのドアを開けてはいけない)
  4. Under no circumstances will we agree to those terms. (いかなる状況でもその条件には同意しない)
  5. By no means is this easy. (これは決して簡単ではない)

Little

  1. Little did I know that she was planning a surprise. (彼女がサプライズを計画しているとは全く知らなかった)
  2. Little does he realize how lucky he is.
  3. Little did they suspect what was about to happen.

No sooner ... than

  1. No sooner had I sat down than the doorbell rang. (座るや否やドアベルが鳴った)
  2. No sooner had we arrived than it started to rain.

2. Only + Adverb Inversion

Only after / Only when / Only if / Only then / Only by

  1. Only after reading the book did I understand the story. (本を読んで初めて物語がわかった)
  2. Only when she left did I realize how much I missed her.
  3. Only if you study hard will you pass.
  4. Only then did I understand the truth. (その時初めて真実がわかった)
  5. Only by working together can we solve this problem.
  6. Only recently have I started learning English seriously.
  7. Only once has he visited Japan.
  8. Only in Japan can you find such service.

3. So / Such ... that Inversion

  1. So beautiful was the view that we stayed for hours. (あまりに美しい景色だったので何時間もいた)
  2. So tired was I that I fell asleep immediately.
  3. So great was the damage that the building had to be demolished.
  4. Such was his anger that he couldn't speak. (あまりの怒りに言葉が出なかった)
  5. Such is the popularity of the restaurant that you need to book months ahead.

4. Had / Were / Should — 条件文の倒置 (if省略)

Had (= If + had)

  1. Had I known, I would have helped. (= If I had known)
  2. Had she arrived earlier, she would have caught the train.
  3. Had it not been for your help, I would have failed.

Were (= If + were)

  1. Were I you, I would accept the offer. (= If I were you)
  2. Were it not for the rain, we could go outside.
  3. Were she here, she would know what to do.

Should (= If + should — 万が一)

  1. Should you need any help, please let me know. (= If you should need)
  2. Should the situation change, we will inform you.
  3. Should there be any problems, contact us immediately.

5. So do I / Neither do I — 同意の倒置

肯定文への同意: So + auxiliary + subject

  1. "I love coffee." "So do I." (私も)
  2. "She can swim." "So can he." (彼も)
  3. "I've been to Paris." "So have I." (私も)
  4. "He was tired." "So was she." (彼女も)
  5. "I'll be there." "So will I." (私も)

否定文への同意: Neither/Nor + auxiliary + subject

  1. "I don't like spiders." "Neither do I." (私もだ)
  2. "She can't cook." "Nor can I." (私もだ)
  3. "I haven't seen that movie." "Neither have I." (私もだ)
  4. "He wasn't happy." "Neither was I." (私もだ)
  5. "I won't be there." "Nor will I." (私もだ)

忘れがちなポイント

6. Here / There Inversion — 場所の倒置

代名詞でない場合に倒置が起きる。

  1. Here comes the bus! (バスが来た!)
  2. There goes my chance. (チャンスが行ってしまった)
  3. Here is your coffee. (コーヒーをどうぞ)
  4. There stands a tall building. (高いビルが立っている)

ただし代名詞なら倒置しない!

7. その他の倒置パターン

場所の副詞句が文頭

  1. On the table lay a letter. (テーブルの上に手紙があった)
  2. In the garden stood a cherry tree. (庭に桜の木が立っていた)
  3. Behind the house was a beautiful garden.
  4. On the wall hung a famous painting.

Direct speech の後

  1. "I'm leaving," said Tom. (= Tom said)
  2. "What a surprise!" exclaimed Mary.

忘れがちなポイント まとめ

  1. 否定語が文頭 → 必ず倒置!
  2. 倒置 = 疑問文と同じ語順 (助動詞 + 主語)
  3. 一般動詞の場合は do/does/did を使う
  4. 代名詞の場合、here/there の倒置はしない
  5. 条件文の if を省略すると倒置が起きる (Had I known...)
  6. これらは主にライティングやフォーマルスピーチで使う。会話では少ない。

Common Mistakes by Japanese Speakers

  1. ✗ Never I have seen... → ✓ Never have I seen...
  2. ✗ Not only she speaks English... → ✓ Not only does she speak English...
  3. ✗ Here comes it. → ✓ Here it comes.
  4. ✗ So I do. (同意のつもり) → ✓ So do I. (← 同意はこっち)
  5. ✗ Neither I do. → ✓ Neither do I.

Practice Exercises

Rewrite using inversion:

  1. I have never seen such a mess. → Never have I seen such a mess.
  2. I didn't realize the importance until later. → Not until later did I realize the importance.
  3. She not only sings but she also dances. → Not only does she sing, but she also dances.
  4. If I had known, I would have come. → Had I known, I would have come.
  5. I had hardly started when the boss called. → Hardly had I started when the boss called.
  6. "I love sushi." "I love it too." → "I love sushi." "So do I."
  7. He didn't know what was about to happen. → Little did he know what was about to happen.
← midori-ai