2)具有否定意义的词或短语置于句首时(除否定词修饰主语外),句子一般要写成部分倒装句。这类词或短语常见的有:not,never,seldom,hardly,rarely,scarcely,bynomeans,undernocircumstances,innoway,atnotime,nosooner…(than),hardly…(when),notonly…(butalso),notuntil…,等。例如:
Hardlyhadshesatdownwhensheheardsomeoneknockingatthedoor.
Notuntiltwelveo‘clockdidhegotobedlastnight.
NeverhavemysistersbeentoHongKongbefore.
NosoonerhadIreturnedhomefromNewZealandthanIboughtahouseandwenttolivethere.我从新西兰一回国,就买了一栋房子并在那儿住下了。
SofarasIknow,seldomdoesMarycomebacktoseehermother.
Scarcelyadropofrainfellherelastfall.(否定词修饰主语时,句子不用倒装。)去年秋天,这儿几乎没下一滴雨。