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Unit 19: Complex Sentences (A-J)

📘 Giải thích tiếng Việt

Đảo ngữ sau trạng từ phủ định

Khi đưa trạng ngữ mang nghĩa phủ định/hạn chế lên đầu câu, phải đảo trợ động từ lên trước chủ ngữ như trong câu hỏi: Never before has the company faced such competition. Nhóm này gồm Never, Rarely, Seldom, Little, In no way, At no time, Under no circumstances, On no account, Not only... (but also), Not until.... Ví dụ: Not only did he forget my birthday, but he also....

Hardly / Scarcely / No sooner

Diễn tả hai việc xảy ra sát nhau. Cấu trúc cố định: Hardly/Scarcely + had + S + V-ed ... when ... và No sooner + had + S + V-ed ... than ... (No sooner had Mike left than everyone gossiped). Vế đầu luôn dùng quá khứ hoàn thành và đảo ngữ; chú ý cặp liên từ when vs than.

Đảo ngữ với Only / So / Such

Only when/after/if + mệnh đề thì đảo ngữ ở mệnh đề chính: Only when I checked did I realise.... So + tính từ + be/aux + S + that (So nervous was he that...); Such + be + N + that (Such was the pressure that...).

Đảo ngữ chỉ vị trí và câu đồng tình

Khi trạng ngữ chỉ nơi chốn đứng đầu, động từ (không cần trợ động từ) đảo lên trước chủ ngữ danh từ: On his head was a red cap, There comes our neighbour. Câu đồng tình: So/Neither/Nor + aux + S (Neither can I, So was I).

Câu chẻ (cleft) và so/such/too/enough

Nhấn mạnh bằng It was ... that/who ..., What ... was ..., The reason/thing/person/place .... Phân biệt mức độ: so + adj, such + (a) + N, too + adj + to, adj + enough + to.

Tổng điểm: 0/98

Theory / Reference (Unit 19 pages 154-155)

Inversions with negative adverbial words and phrases

Starter	Examples
hardly (... when)	Hardly had the new law been introduced when the mistake was realised.
scarcely (... when)	Scarcely had I opened the front door when I heard a noise from the kitchen.
barely (... when)	Barely had we solved one problem when another one arose.
no sooner (... than)	No sooner had the alarm gone off than the police arrived.
only	Only in an emergency should you dial 999.
only after	Only after I had checked that the burglars had left did I call the police.
only when	Only when we agree what measures are needed will we be able to solve the problem.
not until	Not until the next election will we know how the public feel about this news.
at no time / point / stage	At no point did I realise that he was the Prime Minister.
in no way	In no way does this decision represent a change in government policy.
little	Little did Ralph know that the burglar was still inside his house.
never	Never have I heard such a ridiculous suggestion!
not	Not one vote did the proposal receive.
not only (... but also / too)	Not only has this government failed but it has also stolen ideas from other parties.
on no account	On no account should you try to tackle a burglary yourself.
rarely	Rarely do the newspapers present a balanced view of current events.
seldom	Seldom do people leaving prison stay out of trouble.
under no circumstances	Under no circumstances will we accept an increase in working hours.

Watch out

With not until and only (when/after), invert the verb and subject in the main clause.
Not until / Only when this government realises what a mistake it is making will things change.

Inversions with adverbial expressions of place (+ verb of movement/position)

Type	Examples
here / there / adverbial phrases	Here comes the Minister now. There stood the next king of England. At the top of society are the aristocracy. Beside the Town Hall stood the public library. In this prison are housed some of the most dangerous criminals. On the corner of the street sat a homeless man.
participle phrases	Running down the road was a young man with a woman's handbag under his arm.

Other inversions

Pattern	Examples
Short answers using so, neither and nor	'I voted for Smith.' / 'Did you? So did I.' \| 'I don't believe a word this government says.' / 'No, neither do I.'
After as, than, so and such	I am very worried about bullying in the school, as are a lot of the parents. The police in this area make more arrests than do officers in other parts of the country. So rare is burglary here that many people don't bother to lock their doors. Such public interest was there in the story that it was on the front pages of the newspapers.
In conditional sentences (see Unit 11)	Were the Foreign Secretary to resign, it would cause serious problems for the Prime Minister. Should the Foreign Secretary resign, it would cause serious problems for the Prime Minister. Had I known about the crime problem, I would never have moved here.

Cleft sentences

Pattern	Examples
all (that)	All that Keith wanted was to get his money back. / To get his money back was all that Keith wanted.
it is/was ... who/which/that	It was Carol who/that called the police.
the ... thing	The first thing is to check to see what's missing. / To check to see what's missing is the first thing.
the day etc when/that; the day etc on/in/at which	The year when this government came to power was 2006. / 2006 was the year when this government came to power. / 2006 was the year in which this government came to power.
the person who/that	The person who stole the money was Thomas. / Thomas was the person who stole the money.
the place where	The place where the Queen stays in Scotland is Balmoral Castle. / Balmoral Castle is the place where the Queen stays in Scotland.
the reason (why)	The reason (why) I joined this political party was to make a difference. / To make a difference was the reason (why) I joined this political party.
the thing that	The thing that annoys me is the boss's attitude. / The boss's attitude is the thing that annoys me.
what	What annoys me is the boss's attitude. / The boss's attitude is what annoys me.
what ... do/did	What Churchill did was bring people together.
what happens/happened is/was ...	What happened was that a witness saw the man leave the house.

Watch out

With it is/was ... in cleft sentences, two forms are possible when the subject is a pronoun.
It was I who stole the money. (formal)
It was me that stole the money. (informal)

so / such / too / enough

Word	Examples
so	It all happened so quickly that I didn't have time to see the man's face. This problem has gone on for so long that I don't think they'll ever find a solution. It was so terrible a crime that the judge sentenced him to life in prison. There is so much crime around here that I'm thinking of moving.
such	This problem has gone on for such a long time that I don't think they'll ever find a solution. It was such a terrible crime that the judge sentenced him to life in prison. There is such a lot of crime around here that I'm thinking of moving.
too	I had too little time to get a good look at his face. This problem seems to be too difficult for anyone to solve. The police responded too slowly to have any chance of catching the burglar.
enough	There just aren't enough police officers on the streets. The police weren't quick enough to catch the burglar. The police didn't respond quickly enough to catch the burglar.

Watch out

So and such can be used in ways without a that clause. Example: "There's so much crime around here these days."
We only use too to describe something as more than necessary and with a negative effect. It is not the same as very, really, extremely, etc.
It is not necessary to add an extra object in sentences such as: "This problem seems to be too difficult for them to solve it."
Enough usually comes before nouns and after adjectives and adverbs.

A. If a phrase in bold is correct, put a tick. If it is incorrect, rewrite it correctly.

Type only the corrected bold phrase. If correct, type: tick

Hardly I had sat down when the doorbell rang.

Scarcely had Julian finished writing when the teacher told the students to put their pens down.

We had barely set off on our journey when the kids started asking when we would get there.

No sooner the government changes the tax laws than businesses find a way around them.

Scarcely they had finished painting the house when it started to rain.

Hardly the new computer system had been installed when it started to go wrong.

It's true that no sooner we had started eating than we realised we had forgotten the potatoes.

Barely had the politician started to speak when began the crowd to boo.

Hardly the new park was finished when vandals destroyed the flowerbeds.

A10

Scarcely Keith had arrived in Argentina when he was arrested.

B. Complete using the words and phrases in the box.

Box: at no point, in no way, little, never, not, not only, only after, on no account, rarely, under no circumstances

______ were the security guards to blame for what happened.

______ once did the old woman thank me for helping her.

______ seeing the doctor was Theresa allowed to leave hospital.

______ will passengers be allowed to carry more than 6 kg of hand luggage.

______ were you late, but you also forgot to bring the correct documents.

______ during the meeting did anyone mention that the managing director was planning to leave.

______ did the passengers know that the driver was really an undercover police officer.

______ do you meet anyone as charming as Mr Beeching.

______ should unaccompanied children be allowed to enter the area.

B10

______ before has the company found itself facing such stiff competition.

C. Complete using the words in bold with the verb in the correct form.

Write the missing phrase in each gap.

Not until the area is made safe ______ (construction / can continue).

In no way ______ (the announcement / affect) how strongly we felt about the situation.

Seldom ______ (you / see) a vintage car in quite such good condition these days.

Not only ______ (Jerry / forget) my birthday, but he also forgot our wedding anniversary.

At no time ______ (I / ask) my opinion on the subject.

Only when ______ (I / checked) the ticket again did I realise that I had won first prize!

Little ______ (Caroline / realise) that I had a big surprise planned for her.

Under no circumstances ______ (you / should sign) a contract you haven't read thoroughly.

At no stage ______ (it / appear) likely that Wilkinson would win the championship.

C10

Only if the weather is clear ______ (the space shuttle / will allow) to launch.

D. Complete using a verb from the box in the correct form. Try to use each verb at least once.

Box: appear, be, come, go, lie, sit, stand

'There (1) ______ our new neighbour now,' said Joe.

I looked up and coming along the path (2) ______ a short, fat man.

On his head (3) ______ a bright red baseball cap.

Then upstairs window (4) ______ the sound of loud rock music.

In his hand (5) ______ a letter from the council.

There (6) ______ a little old woman, looking up at us, smiling.

On the sofa behind her (7) ______ a fat old cat.

Suddenly, in the doorway (8) ______ the same fat man I had seen earlier.

E. Select the correct phrase. If both are correct, select both.

Choose the correct option.

Dave doesn't really trust Ian, and I have to say that neither I do / do I.

I do do I

Such a valuable painting it is / is it that the public are not allowed to get close to it.

it is is it

So we could / could we watch TV while we ate, we moved the television onto the balcony.

could could we

My dad's never been abroad, and nor my mum has / has my mum.

my mum has has my mum

Such the media interest was / was the media interest in the wedding that there were over a dozen photographers.

was was the media interest

It's been a hard season for the team, as last season was / was last season.

last season was was last season

Russia is a country with vast natural resources, and so China is / is China.

China is is China

We in this country spend more per person on fuel than the French do / do the French.

do do the French

The Minister was forced to resign, such the pressure was / was the pressure on her.

was was the pressure

E10

So nervous he was / was he that I was almost certain he was lying.

was was he

F. Rewrite the sentences, starting with the words given.

Type a correct rewritten sentence starting with the given words.

The window was broken by a cricket ball.
It ...

I will never forget the day I heard I'd got into my chosen university.
The day on ...

Glynn became a social worker to help people less fortunate than himself.
The reason ...

Getting through the summer without getting injured was the only thing the athlete wanted.
All ...

The driver didn't see the motorcyclist.
What happened ...

Christopher Columbus discovered America.
The person ...

Seeing Patricia cry like that made me feel guilty.
What ...

What we had to do first was decide where to meet.
The first thing ...

There are lots of facilities where we go camping.
The place ...

F10

Einstein proved that energy and mass are basically the same thing.
What ...

G. Write so, such, too or enough in each gap.

Use one word in each gap.

It was ______ good a meal that we left the waiter quite a large tip.

It's becoming increasingly clear that there just aren't ______ people willing to buy our products online.

I'm quite enjoying my maths degree, but I just find statistics ______ boring!

Angela seemed to be having ______ a good time at the party that I decided not to tell her how late it was.

We've all been working ______ hard on the latest project the manager gave us a couple of extra days off.

I worry about my grandparents because they have ______ a lot of health problems.

It's ______ early to tell whether he will be going to succeed or not.

Set the alarm or we'll never wake up early ______ to catch the first train.

I never knew that Andrew had ______ few friends.

G10

Everyone was surprised when Dan failed because he's ______ a good student.

G11

A year after losing my job, I had ______ many debts that I was really beginning to panic.

G12

I was hoping to have a word with Alan before he left, but it seems to be ______ late now.

H. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given.

Do not change the word given. Use between three and eight words, including the word given.

I had to clear the spare room before I could start decorating. (cleared)
Only when ______ start decorating.

The phone rang again as soon as I put it down. (had)
Hardly ______ it rang again.

The Watsons moved to London and very soon after they decided to get divorced. (had)
No sooner ______ they decided to get divorced.

I had no idea the manager wanted to see me to fire me. (realise)
Little ______ the manager wanted to see me to fire me.

I was told about the website by Charlie. (who)
It ______ me about the website.

Buying a plane ticket at the last minute isn't often possible. (to)
Rarely ______ a plane ticket at the last minute.

They didn't ask me anything about my plans for the summer. (question)
Not ______ about my plans for the summer.

There is no situation in which we will allow the management to lower wages. (no)
Under ______ the management to lower wages.

I. Choose the correct answer.

Select A, B, C or D.

Not until we have no choice ______ the business down.

close we we will close will we close we close

It was ______ a victory that even Smith's fans couldn't believe it.

such surprising so surprising too surprising surprising enough

At no time ______ I was going to fail the exam.

did I think thought I I thought was I thought

So ______ that they actually finished three weeks early.

were the builders fast fast the builders were the builders were fast fast were the builders

Never ______ completed an utter rubbish!

have I heard so I heard such did I hear so have I heard such

In no way ______ that people will be prevented from organising peaceful protests.

this law means means this law does this law mean this law does mean

If you don't put the tent up ______, it might blow away!

too carefully so careful such carefully carefully enough

No sooner ______ everyone started to gossip about him.

had Mike left than did Mike leave when left Mike when Mike had left than

'I can't stand this hot weather!' 'No, ______ dreadful, isn't it?'

so can't I neither can I so I can't nor I can

I10

'We were at the Rolling Stones concert last weekend.' 'Were you? So ______!'

I was was I being I was there was I

J. Write one word in each gap.

Problems close to home

Rarely (1) ______ neighbours have the best of relationships for any length of time.

... but only if there is a lot of give and take (2) ______ this possible.

Inferred from scan context.

(3) ______ common are disputes between neighbours that there are many laws to cover arguments over noise, property and rubbish.

Before things go (4) ______ far for the relationship to be saved, there are a few simple things you can do.

The first is (5) ______ speak to your neighbour.

You'd be amazed at how many arguments are avoided by (6) ______ a simple step.

Not (7) ______ does it give you the chance to express your complaint, it ...

..., it (8) ______ gives your neighbour the chance to explain and, perhaps, take action.

On (9) ______ account should you do anything to damage your neighbours' property ...

J10

(10) ______ until you are sure you are acting within the law should you do anything.

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