倒装句让语言表达不再平淡

河南 昝胜利

在高考英语试题中，倒装句是天津卷、江苏卷单项填空题的常考点。全国卷、浙江卷等虽未直接考查倒装句，但由于倒装句经常在英语阅读文章中出现，因此其会影响学生对语篇的理解甚至解题。此外，在概要写作、读后续写、应用文写作中适当使用倒装句会使文章的语言表达变得生动形象、富有文采。

英语句子的语序通常是主语在前，谓语在后。把谓语动词的全部或一部分提到主语前面的句子叫做倒装句。倒装句包括全部倒装和部分倒装。为了帮助考生全面掌握有关倒装句的基础知识，并在写作中适当运用倒装句，笔者对倒装句进行了系统梳理。

一、全部倒装

全部倒装是指把全部的谓语动词放在主语的前面。以下几种情况，通常用全部倒装：

1.在there be 句型中，动词appear,come,exist,happen,lie,live,occur,seem,remain,stand 可替代be 动词。例如：

【典例1】Once upon a time,there lived a king who ruled a small country near the sea.

【典例2】There happened to be an ancient water town not too far away from the city.

【典例3】There remained some problems to be solved when the new president came to power.

2.表示地点的副词here，there 置于句首，且主语是名词而不是代词时。例如：

【典例1】Here comes the school bus.

【典例2】There goes the bell.Let’s go to the classroom.

【典例3】John opened the door.There stood a girl he had never seen before.

注意：如果主语是代词，只把副词here,there 放在句首，主语在前，谓语在后。例如：

【典例1】Here it is.

【典例2】There we are.

3.表示时间的副词now,then 和表示动作方向的副词away,down,in,off,out,up 等置于句首时。例如：

【典例1】Now comes your turn to answer my questions.

【典例2】Then followed a long silence.

【典例3】Away flew the bird.

【典例4】Down came the rain.

4.用作地点状语的介词短语置于句首，表示强调时。例如：

【典例1】In the room lay some old boxes full of clothes.

【典例2】By the roadside stood six blind men,begging from the passers-by.

【典例3】On the top of the mountains stands a pavilion overlooking the valley.

【典例4】The soldier finally arrived at a farm house,in front of which stood an old oak tree.

【典例5】In the middle of the city square is a music fountain,where the citizens enjoy themselves after work.

5.句中的表语比较短，而主语比较长，为了保持句子平衡而将表语前置时。例如：

【典例1】Present at the conference were professors from key universities and some government officials.

【典例2】Gone are the days when farmers used oxen and horses on their farms.

6.用感叹句表示祝愿时。例如：

【典例】Long live the friendship between China and Pakistan！

二、部分倒装

部分倒装是指把谓语的一部分，如助动词（do,does,did,will,shall,have,has,had）、系动词（be）、情态动词（can,may,must,dare等）等放在主语的前面。以下几种情况，通常采用部分倒装。

1.表示否定、半否定意义的副词或短语，如little,never,never before,neither,nor,not only...but also...,not until,seldom,hardly,scarcely,not,nowhere,by no means,in no case,in no way,on no account,on no condition,under no circumstances 等置于句首时。例如：

【典例1】Not once did it occur to Michael that he could one day become a top student in his class.

【典例2】Not only do the workers want a pay increase,they want reduced hours as well.

【典例3】It’s nice.Never before have I had such a special drink!

【考例】（2019 年天津卷，12）The professor warned the students that on no account should they use mobile phones in his class.

【解析】句意：教师警告这些学生们，在任何情况下，他们都不能在上课时使用手机。本句含有that 引导的宾语从句，因短语on no account（绝不，切勿）置于从句的句首，因此应采用部分倒装。

2.当“only+副词、介词短语或状语从句”置于句首时。例如：

【典例1】Only then did I realize that it was foolish to break away from my friends and never contact them.

【典例2】Only by working hard can you make your dream come true.

【典例3】Only when I reread his poem recently did I begin to appreciate their beauty.

【考例1】（2015 年湖南卷，23）Only after talking to two students did I discover that having strong motivation is one of the biggest factors in reaching goals.

【解析】因“Only+介词after+doing”置于句首，故句子的主干应采用部分倒装。

【考例2】（2015 年天津卷，3）Only when Lily walked into the office did she realize that she had left the contract at home.

【解析】因“Only +when 时间状语从句”置于句首，故句子的主句应采用部分倒装。因when 引导的时间状语从句为一般过去时，主句也应用一般过去时。

注意：如果only+when 状语从句用于强调句中，不再倒装，而是采用正常语序。例如：

【典例】It was only when he reached the tea-house that she realized it was the same place he’d been in last year.

【考例3】（2018 年天津卷，14）It was only when the car pulled up in front of our house that we saw Lily in the passenger seat.

【解析】句意：直到汽车在我们房子前停下，我们才看到莉莉坐在乘客席上。考查强调句，强调句型的结构为：It is/ was+被强调部分(通常是主语、宾语或状语)+that/who（当强调主语且主语指人）+其他部分。本题强调时间状语“only when the car pulled up in front of our house”，因此空白处应填that。

3.副词so,neither,nor 表示前句陈述的情况也适用另一个主语。如果前句是肯定句，用“so +系动词（be）/助动词/情态动词+另一个主语”；前句是否定句，用“neither/nor +系动词（be）/助动词/情态动词+另一个主语”。例如：

【典例1】Jane won’t join us for dinner tonight.Neither will Lucy.

【典例2】— I don’t know about you,but I’m sick and tired of this weather.

—So am I.I can’t stand all this rain.

【典例3】The headmaster will not permit the change in the course,nor will he even give it a thought.

【典例4】This is not my story,nor is it the whole story.My story plays out differently.

【典例5】If Tom doesn’t go to the party,nor/neither shall I.

注意：

（1）如果说话的两个人在谈论同一件事，即前后的主语相同，只把so放在句首，第二个分句不采用倒装。例如：

【典例1】—The weather is fine these days.

—So it is.

【典例2】—Xu Xin plays ping pang very well.

—So he does.That is why he has won a lot of world titles.

（2）如果前句既有实义动词，又有系动词或情态动词，或者前句既有否定，又有肯定，则用It is the same with.../so it is with...表示“……也是这样”。例如：

【典例1】Alice is from America and she loves Chinese food.It is the same with Amy.

【典例2】I like rice,but I don’t like noodles.So it is with my brother.

4.在so...that...和such...that...句式中，当“ so+形容词/副词”“ such+形容词+名词”置于句首时，主句则采用部分倒装。例如：

【典例1】So beautiful is Hangzhou that it attracts millions of tourists from home and abroad every year.

【典例2】Such fine weather did we have that we decided to go for a picnic.

5.由连接词No sooner...than...,Scarcely...when...,Hardly...when...引导的状语从句，意为“一……就……”，表示两个动作接连发生。主句通常采用过去完成时和部分倒装，把had 置于主语之前，主句不采用倒装。

【典例1】No sooner had Mo Yan stepped on the stage than the audience broke into thunderous applause.

【典例2】Scarcely had I sat down to eat when the phone rang.

【典例3】No sooner had I set off than it started raining.

6.连词not only...but also...连接两个句子时，如果把not only 置于句首，第一个分句通常采用部分倒装，but also 连接的分句不采用倒装，but 可省略。

【典例】Not only did he turn up late,he also forgot to bring his wallet.

7.not until +时间状语（从句）置于句首时，主句采用部分倒装，从句不倒装。例如：

【典例】Not until all the fish died in the river did the villagers realize how serious the pollution was.

【考例】（2016 年江苏卷，34）Not until recently did they encourage the development of tourists-related activities in the rural areas.

【解析】因not until recently 置于句首，因此句子采用部分倒装。

注意：当not until+状语从句用于强调句型时，不采用倒装。

【典例】It was not until all the fish died in the river that the villagers realized how serious pollution was.

8.在省略if 的虚拟条件句中，通常将系动词were、助动词had,should 提到主语之前。例如：

【典例1】Had we booked a table earlier,we couldn’t be standing here in a queue.

【典例2】Should it rain tomorrow we would have to put off the sports meeting.

【典例3】Were I in your position,I would lend him a helping hand.

【考例1】（2017 年江苏卷，22）Were it not for the support of the teachers,the student could not overcome her difficulty.

【解析】题干采用虚拟语气，表示与现在的事实相反。因省略连词if，故采用部分倒装，把were 置于主语it 之前。

【考例2】（2015 年江苏卷，28）It might have saved me some trouble had I known the schedule.

【解析】题干采用虚拟语气，表示与过去的事实相反。主句在前，从句在后。因省略连词if，故采用部分倒装，把助动词had 置于主语I 之前。

注意与倒装句相关的几个问题：

1.由连词as/though 引导的让步状语从句，可以将作表语的形容词、作状语的副词置于句首，但主谓语序不变。如：

【典例1】Young as he was,he started making a living on his own.=Although/Though he was young...

【典例2】Much as I like the smart phone,I cannot afford it.=Although/Though I like the smart phone very much...

注意：

（1）如果把作表语的名词提到句首，通常省略其前面的不定冠词 a/an。例如：

【典例】Child as/though he was,Charles Chaplin started earning money for his family.

（2）有时，as/though 引导的让步状语从句把动词原形置于从句的句首，采用“动词原形+主语+情态动词”的结构。例如：

【典例1】Try as she might,Sue couldn’t get the door open.

【典例2】Object as you may,I have decided to travel to Tibet.

2.当however/no matter how +形容词或副词引导状语从句时，通常放在句首，用以加强语气，但让步状语从句的主谓不采用倒装。例如：

【典例1】However far/No matter how far they are away from home,they still plan to go back home.

【典例2】However hard/No matter how hard he tried,he failed to find a solution to the problem.

3.以what/how 开头的感叹句，只把“What+形容词+名词”或“How +形容词/副词”置于句首，主谓不倒装。例如：

【典例1】What terrible weather we are having today!

【典例2】How hard they are all working!

三、倒装句与强调句式

在英语中，为了加强语气或对句中的某个句子成分进行强调，通常使用强调句式。强调句式的构成：It is/was +被强调部分that/who/whom+句子的其他部分。除了谓语动词之外，句子中的其他成分都可以用该句式加以强调。如果被强调部分为人，用that 或who（强调主语）、whom（强调宾语）；如果被强调部分不是人，而是事物，一律用that。例如：

【典例1】It was German Chancellor Angela Merkel who/that visited Wuhan in September 2019.

【典例2】It is Wuhan that German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited in September 2019.

【典例3】It is in September 2019 that German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Wuhan.

【典例4】It’s not doing the things we like,but liking the things we have to do that makes life happy.

【考例1】（2016 年天津卷，13）You are waiting at a wrong place.It is at the hotel that the coach picks up tourists.

【解析】题干中含有强调句式，被强调部分是地点状语“at the hotel”，因此空白处应填that。

【考例2】（2017 年天津卷，11）It was when I got back to my apartment that I first came across my new neighbors.

【解析】句意：正当我回到公寓时，我才第一次遇见我的新邻居们。题干含有强调句式，强调部分为时间状语“when I got back to my apartment”，因此空白处应填that。

值得注意的是，当only+副词/介词短语/when 状语从句和not until+时间状语（从句）置于句首时，通常采用倒装。但是，如果这些结构用于强调句式中，句子则不再倒装。例如：

【典例1】It was only when I left home to go to college that I began to realize how much my mother had done for me.

【典例2】It was not until he went abroad that my uncle realized how he missed his family.

四、倒装句在英语书面表达中的应用

在写作中，如果全部使用普通句式，语言表达便会显得中规中矩，平淡无奇。有句英语格言说“Variety is the spice of life.（多样化是生活的调味品。）”。为了使表达灵活多样，增强语言的感染力，教师可以鼓励学生尝试在写作时使用倒装句。请比较下面两组表达：

【考例1】（2018 年全国卷Ⅱ书面表达）为校宣传栏“英语天地”写一则通知，请大家观看一部英文短片Growing Together。

表达一：I’d like to offer you some detailed information.

表达二：Here is the detailed information.

表达二采用了倒装句，语言更为简练，表达效果更好。

【考例2】（2018 年全国卷Ⅲ书面表达）为笔友介绍你校学生体育运动情况。

表达一：The playground is behind the teaching building,which consists of eight running tracks,four basketball courts,six badminton courts and a football field.

表达二：Behind the teaching building is the playground,which consists of eight running tracks,four basketball courts,six badminton courts and a football field.

表达二采用了倒装句，由which 引导的定语从句紧跟在先行词playground 之后，句子显得更为紧凑。

总之，虽然倒装句看似不按常规出牌，但是它们却有自己的套路。如果教师引导学生深入研究倒装句，认真总结和归纳相关规律，就能使其更全面地掌握倒装句的用法，在交际语境中正确地使用倒装句，提升其语言表达的档次，让语言表达变得灵活多样，增强语言的感染力。