Unit 9: Emphasis I. Inversion 1 Complete the sentences with the correct words. Never hardly Nowhere Not until Little under no circumstances No sooner Not only 1 ____________ 1846 was the existence of the planet Neptune finally proven. 2 ____________ did I know that more trouble was just around the corner. 3 ____________ have I been spoken to so rudely! 4 ____________ was he a valued colleague, but he was also a good friend. 5 ____________ had they left the restaurant, than a group of journalists surrounded them. 6 ____________ can you find such wonderful pizzas as those in Rome and Naples. 7 ____________ should you be absent from your seminars. 8 ____________ had I got into bed, when there was a knock at the door. 2 Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the same as the sentence above. 1 We had hardly started when it began to rain. Hardly ___________________________________________________________ 2 I have seldom heard such beautiful singing. Seldom ___________________________________________________________ 3 I shall never forget your kindness. Never ____________________________________________________________ 4 I saw only then the danger we were in. Only _____________________________________________________________ 5 We had no sooner left the house than it exploded. No ______________________________________________________________ 6 He didn’t realize that he had lost the key until he got home. Not _____________________________________________________________ 7 They not only robbed you, they smashed everything. Not _____________________________________________________________ 8 You can find this special kind of ice cream only in Italy. Only _____________________________________________________________ 9 Passengers are not permitted to open the door themselves under any circumstances. Under no circumstances ______________________________________________ 10 He didn’t say a single word. Not _____________________________________________________________ 3 Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the same as the sentence above. 1 He would never allow his team mates to argue with the referee. Never ____________________________________________________________ 2 I would never wear a mini-skirt. Under no circumstances ______________________________________________ 3 The gang didn’t know that the police had them under surveillance. Little _____________________________________________________________ 4 Tom only understood the meaning of the comment when he saw his wife’s face. Only _____________________________________________________________ 5 The priest started the ceremony immediately after the couple had arrived. No sooner ________________________________________________________ 6 The artist rarely paid any attention to his agent’s advice. Rarely ____________________________________________________________ 4 Choose the words or phrases which complete each sentence. The number of correct answers is 0-4. 1 No sooner had I reached home _____________________ the telephone rang. A than B when C then D immediately 2 _____________________ left the building, when the bomb went off. A Hardly have we B No sooner we have C Hardly had we D No sooner have we 3 Under no circumstances _____________________ a compromise. A accept we B can we reach C will there be D can there be 4 On no account _____________________ make personal phone calls from the office. A must employees B are employees allowed to C may employees D are employees permitted to 5 Not until _____________________ her letter _____________________ her feelings. A did he receive ... he understood B received he ... did he understand C he received ... he understood D did he receive ... did he understand 6 Only when _____________________ into smart clothes after the match were they allowed to talk to the TV reporters. A had the players changed ... were they allowed B the players had changed ... were they allowed C the players did changed ... they were allowed D did the players change ... they were allowed II. Cleft Sentences 1 Rewrite each sentence in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the sentence before it. a I know what you did to her. You broke her heart. What __________________________ break _____________________________ b I know what she did. She upset all her colleagues by being so arrogant. What ____________________________________________________ arrogance. c I know why he was attracted to this job; he wanted to give people orders. What _________________________ authority ___________________________ d I know what persuaded him to resign. He wasn’t being given credit for his achievements. What _____________________________________________________ achieved. 2 Finish each sentence in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the sentence before it. a I only realised she was a foreigner when she opened her mouth. It was ____________________________________________________________ b Your place of birth doesn’t determine your accent; the place you spend your childhood in does. It’s not where ______________________________________________________ c His actions didn’t bring about his downfall; lying about them did. It wasn’t what ______________________________________________________ d You don’t know who your real friends are until a time like that. It’s only __________________________________________________________ e His jokes in themselves are not funny; his manner of telling them is. It’s how __________________________________________________________