Oraciones complejas e inversiones en inglés: gramática, estructuras y ejemplos

Oraciones complejas, compuestas e inversiones en inglés

A sentence is a group of words that can stand alone as a meaningful grammatical unit. Complex sentences are made of one independent clause and one dependent finite clause introduced by "that". Commas are needed to separate the main clause and the subordinate clause, but commas are needed only when the dependent clause is at the beginning of the sentence.

Compound complex sentences are made up of two independent clauses coordinated by "but", the second of which has been omitted to avoid repetition. Each of these independent clauses has a dependent clause within, the first one being a non-finite (infinitive) clause and the second one being a finite clause introduced by "when".

In writing about literature, or in writing about any specific text, you will strengthen your discussion if you offer specific passages from the text as evidence.

This is a compound complex sentence, made up of a main independent clause, two dependent clauses coordinated by "or", and another dependent clause introduced by "if". The first dependent clauses, placed at the beginning of the sentence, are non-finite clauses with an -ing form. The second subordinate clause, a finite clause, is introduced by means of the subordinator "if". There is an example of ellipsis in the second non-finite clause, where "in writing about" has been eliminated to avoid repetition.

Remember that your over-riding goal of analysis writing is to demonstrate some new understanding of the text.

This is a complex sentence made up of a main clause that follows an imperative structure, and a dependent finite clause working as Direct Object, which contains a non-finite clause with an infinitive that works as subject complement.

Adverbios de circunstancia

Circumstance adverbs: place, time, process, contingency (cause, reason, purpose, concession, condition), extent/degree, addition/restriction, recipient. Stance adverbs and linking adverbials.

Inversión

Inversión condicional

• Type 1: If you need more information, contact us. → Should you need more information, contact us.
• Type 2: If I bought a new car, it'd have to be a Ferrari. → Were I to buy a new car, it'd have to be a Ferrari.
• Type 3: If you had told me, I would have done something. → Had you told me, I would have done something.

Inversión con adverbios y expresiones negativas

• She didn't tell me who she was at any time. → At no time did she tell me who she was.
• It was only when my children arrived home safely that I felt relieved. → Only when my children arrived home safely did I feel relieved.
• My humiliation was such that I did not know what to do. → Such was my humiliation that I did not know what to do.

Inversión para enfatizar

• Come in! Do come in!
• My parents missed their flight. → My parents did miss their flight.
• You got into serious trouble. → You did get into serious trouble.

Estructuras de énfasis (cleft sentences)

• A virus had struck the computer and communication systems. → What had struck the computer and communication systems was a virus.
• I ended up staying in a luxury hotel. → It was in a luxury hotel that/where I ended up staying.

Inversiones con adverbios negativos y expresiones de énfasis

• I have never felt such fear before. → Never before have I felt such fear.
• He not only spilled coffee everywhere but also broke my vase. → Not only did he spill coffee everywhere, but he also broke my vase.
• As soon as she put down the phone, it started to ring again. → No sooner had she put down the phone than it started to ring again.
• She cannot be held responsible for his actions. → Under no circumstances can she be held responsible for his actions.
• He did not know what his fate had in store for him. → Little did he know what his fate had in store for him.
• We had such a good weather that we spent the whole day out. → So good was the weather that we spent the whole day out.
• The demands of her job are such that she rarely has the chance to take holidays. → Such are the demands of her job that she rarely has the chance to take holidays.
• You should never try to do it without... → On no account should you try to do it without...
• Nobody has won so many matches since 1990. → Not since 1990 has anybody won so many matches.
• People are not free from the influence of TV anywhere in the world. → Nowhere in the world are people free from the influence of TV.
• I had been in the room for several minutes when I realized that everyone was staring at me. → Only after having been in the room for several minutes did I realize that everyone was staring at me.
• I have seldom seen such a brilliant goal. → Seldom have I seen such a brilliant goal.
• Such a hurricane has already happened in... → Rarely has such a hurricane happened in...
• They were never aware of the... → At no time were they aware of the...

Estructuras de énfasis con cleft sentences

• His attitude really upsets me. → What really upsets me is his attitude.
• The tickets are in the wooden box. → It is in the wooden box where the tickets are.
• MJ was an excellent performer. → It was MJ who was an excellent performer.
• I wrote this love poem because I was really inspired. → If I wrote this love poem, it was because I was really inspired.
• I came back from London in 2001. → It was in 2001 when I came back from London.
• I polished the furniture to make it look newer. → All I did was polish the furniture to make it look newer.
• I can't stand the way that she looks at people. → What I can't stand is the way that she looks at people.
• I broke the vase when I was cleaning it. → What I did was break the vase when I was cleaning it.
• I didn't scratch the car, John did it. → It was John who scratched the car.
• John and May had a big wedding to please their parents. → 1: It was to please their parents that they had a big wedding. 2: What they did to please their parents was have a big wedding. 3: If they had a big wedding, it was to please their parents.
• I enjoyed the brilliant music most of all in the performance. → What I enjoyed most of all in the performance was the brilliant music.
• The manager interviewed all the applicants for the post first. → What the manager did first was (to) interview all the applicants for the post.
• I didn't decide to take a short cut across country! → It wasn't me who decided to take a short cut across country!
• The computer gives me a headache. → It is the computer that/what gives me a headache.
• I didn't go because I was tired. → If I didn't go, it was because I was tired.