Inversiones en inglés: nivel avanzado

Long did we expected to post this article!

Hace mucho que teníamos previsto subir un artículo detallado sobre las inversiones en inglés. Finally!

Éste proceso se suele dar en un registro formal y suele ser bastante común en la parte escrita. Así que si deseas demostrar un uso avanzado de inglés en tus writings, las inversiones te van a ayudar.

Consiste en invertir el auxiliar o el verbo “to be” al inicio de la frase y suele ser común en construcciones adverbiales.

Énfasis

Para hablar inglés como una nativo (aquí tienes trucos prácticos) uno de los pasos que hay que tomar es empezar a “dramatizar” un poco nuestro discurso. No tienes que llegar a ser una drama queen, pero sin duda tienes que variar tu entonación y enfatizar tus discurso. Las inversiones en inglés te van a ayudar a lograr un tono retórico típico de los nativos.

Inversiones en inglés

a) HARDLY, SCARCELY, BARELY, NO SOONER

Cuando cuentas algo pasado se suelen utilizar estos adverbios para enfatizar que a un primer hecho le siguió rápidamente a un segundo hecho. Es por eso que generalmente el verbo que describe el primer hecho suele ir en pasado perfecto, pero también pasados simples (en cuyo caso el auxiliar sería DID).

Trucos:

– A los adverbios HARDLY, SCARCELY y BARELY le sigue la palabra WHEN.
– Al adverbio NO SOONER le sigue THAN (porque SOONER es el comparativo de SOON).

Pongamos algunos ejemplos en pasado perfecto:

Inversión: Hardly had I got home when my mum called.
Orden normal: I had hardly got home when my mum called.

Inversión: Scarcely had she finished her examen when she realized she didn’t asnswer to the last question.
Orden normal: She had scarcely finished her examen when she realized she didn’t asnswer to the last question.

Inversión: Barely had they parked when one of the car’s tyre blew out.
Orden normal: They had barely parked when one of the car’s tyre blew out.

Inversión: No sooner had I been fired when the company went bankrupt. 
Orden normal: I had no sooner been fired when the company went bankrupt.

b) ONLY AFTER, ONLY BY, ONLY IF, ONLY IN THIS WAY, ONLY THEN, ONLY WHEN, NOT UNTIL

Cuando estas palabras se colocan al comienzo de una oración para conseguir un efecto enfático, el sujeto y el auxiliar invierten sus posiciones.

Observa estos ejemplos de inversiones en inglés:

Inversión: Never (before) has she faced such a troblesome situation.
Orden normal: She has never faced such a troblesome situation.

Inversión: Rarely have there been so many worries about the millenials generation lifestyle.
Orden normal: There have rarely been so many worries about the millenials generation lifestyle.

Inversión: Little did I know that I would later be affected by that bad action.
Orden normal: I knew little that I would later be affected by that bad action.

Inversión: Under no circumstances are you allowed to smoke on a plane.
Orden normal: You are not allowed toto smoke on a plane under any circumstances.

Inversión: On no condition will the bank bear responsibility for misurderstandings in the contract.
Orden normal: The bank will not bear responsibility for misurderstandings in the contract. 

Inversión: In no way am I to be blamed for your irresponsabilities.
Orden normal: I am in no way to be blamed for your irresponsabilities.

Inversión: Not only wasn’t he on time, but he didn’t even apologize for his delay.
Orden normal: He was not only late, but he didn’t apologize for his delay either.

Inversión: Not only did he succeed to set up a big company, but he had also made a killing in just a few months. 
Orden normal: He not only exceeded to set up a big company but he had also made a killing in just a few months.

c) ONLY AFTER, ONLY BY, ONLY IF, ONLY IN THIS WAY, ONLY THEN, ONLY WHEN, NOT UNTIL

Si la palabra only no va seguida de las preposiciones con las que aparece en las estructuras de arriba, no se realiza la inversión.

Inspirarte en los siguientes ejemplos:

 Only after finishing the housework can you go out.
Orden normal: You can go out only after finishing your homework.

 Only after you have finished the housework can you go out. 
Orden normal: You can go out only after you have finished your homework.

 Only by working out can you get fit. 
Orden normal: You can get fir only by working out.

 Only if everybody reached an agreement would I accept this position.
Orden normal: I would accept this position only if everybody reached an agreement.

 Only in this way do the kids pay attention to you. 
Orden normal: The kids pay attention to you only in this way.

 Only then did they realize it was a trap.
Orden normal: They realized it was a trap only then.

 Only when she begged did he help her.
Orden normal: He helped her only when she begged.

 Only when I was pulled over by the police did I realize I had been driving without lights. 
Orden normal: I noticed that I had been driving without lights only when I was pulled over by the police.

Esta última frase se puede reformular de otra forma:

 Not until I was pulled over by the police did I realize I has been driving without lights
Orden normal: I noticed that I had been driving without lights only when I was pulled over by the police.

d) CONDITIONALS

También podemos usar invertir el “if” de los condicionales con el auxiliar “had”, el verbo “were” y el modal “should”.

Condicional normal: If it had not rained, the accident wouldn’t have happened.

Inversión con condicional: Had it not rained, the accident wouldn’t have happened.

Condicional normal: If he had followed his drive, he would have succedeed.

Inversión con condicional: Had he followed his guts, he would have succedeed.

e) EXPRESSIONS

Bastante más literario y formal, también te puedes encontrar con inversiones en inglés como estas:

On the table was all the treasure we had found. (Oración normal: All the treasure we had found was on the table.)

Round the corner came the knights. (Oración normal: The knights came round the corner.)

f) so + adjective…that 

So stunning was the bride that nobody could talk of anything else. (Oración normal: The bride was so stunning that nobody could talk of anything else.)

So tasty was the food that we ate every last bite. (Oración normal: The food was so tasty that we ate every last bite.)

Os dejamos una tabla con la mayoría de las inversiones en inglés que hemos visto a lo largo de éste artículo éste artículo.

Para poder practicar las inversiones en inglés, te dejamos unas frases para re-escribir y hacerlas más enfáticas y retóricas. ¡Suerte!

• I didn’t realize my mistake until years later.

Not until……………………………………………………………….

• We had never seen such magnificent scenary.

Never…………………………………………………………………………

• They not onlye disliked her, but they also hated her family.

Not only……………………………………………………………………..

• We had just started to eat when we heard someone knocking at the door.

Hardly…………………………………………………………………………….

• I have rarely read such a badly written nivel.

Rarely………………………………………………………………………………

• They only lit the fire when it was unusually cold.

Only when………………………………………………………………………

• Shortly after he had gone to sleep there was a knock on the door.

No sooner………………………………………………………………………..

• I had only just destroyed the evidence when the police arrived.

Scarcely……………………………………………………………………………

• He has never regretted the decision he took on that day.

Never……………………………………………………………………………………..

Con todas estas inversiones acabamos nuestro artículos de hoy. Recuerda incorporar algunas en tu conversación y aún más en los exámenes orales que hagas.

Cheers!