Special Structures
Inversion, cleft sentences, emphasis, exclamatory structures, and more
What are Special Structures?
Special structures are sentence patterns that deviate from normal word order or use special devices for emphasis, focus, or rhetorical effect. They include inversion, cleft sentences, emphatic "do", and more.
Common Special Structures
Inversion
Reversing the normal subject-verb order for emphasis or after negative/restrictive words at the start. Full inversion (verb before subject) or partial inversion (auxiliary before subject).
Never have I seen such beauty.
Hardly had she arrived when it started to rain.
Never before had the monkeys seen such a magnificent palace inside the mountain.
From novelCleft Sentences
Split a sentence to focus on one part. "It is/was + focused part + that/who + rest." Used to emphasize a specific element.
It was John who broke the window.
Emphatic "Do"
Adding "do/does/did" before a base verb for emphasis in affirmative sentences.
I do like this song!
There be Structure
"There + be + noun" introduces existence or occurrence. The verb agrees with the noun that follows it.
There is a book on the table.
There are three cats in the garden.