上周知新共学12月翻译群的练习里有一句话是这样的：
Spotty, awkward 15-year-olds predated the 1940s, but only then did mystified adults coin the label “teenagers”, fuelling all sorts of products and services, from bobby socks to the music industry.
上周外刊群在集中答疑时，有个译友也在问，到底什么成分什么词放句首，句子才要倒装呢？怎么知道是该完全倒装还是部分倒装？
今天这篇就对英语中的所有倒装情况做个小小的梳理汇总。
先说完全倒装。一般是为了强调某个内容，把表语或状语放在句首，这时候需要完全倒装：
▲句首状语是方位词：here, there, from, out, down, in, up...
Here's Jim.
如果主语是代词，则不倒装，比如Here I am.
▲句首是地点状语，此时动词大多是表示走动或状态的不及物动词，比如come, walk, stand, sit, lie...
最简单的：Here comes the bus.
注意谓语动词come, go不能用进行时哦。
▲表语前置，将做表语的形容词或分次短语置句首：
Among them was his friend Tom.
In the box were some cats.
倒装了之后，谓语动词的单复数仍然跟着主语走，和别人都没关系哦。
然后说部分倒装。部分倒装的情况要稍微复杂一点。
▲否定词以及含有否定意义的副词或词组置于句首时，never, no, neither, not only, hardly, scarcely, little, seldom, not until, nowhere, on no account, by no means, in no way, etc.
Seldom does she have time to read.
Not until the rain stopped did he leave the room.
▲only出现在句首修饰介词短语、副词、状语从句时。
Only did I get home I realized what had happened.
如果only属于主语的一部分，不能用倒装哦：
Only his students knew about it.
▲比较状语从句中的倒装
由than或as引导的比较状语从句中，为避免头重脚轻，有时会将从句中的助动词、系动词或情态动词前置到较长的名词主语前面，比如：
A mother’s wanting her partner to do more housework and child care is a better predictor of poor family adjustment than is actual time spent by fathers in these tasks.
相比于父亲在家务和育儿上实际花费的时间，母亲希望丈夫做更多此类工作的现象更能够预示家庭适应方面的问题。
有些译友反馈这个句子有点难懂，其实句子主干就是A mother's wanting is a better predictor than is actual time.
▲so, nor, neither被用来表示和前句所述相同的情况时：
More transparency would improve things across the board. So would an acceptance by Mr Zuckerberg of just what a heavy responsibility he now bears.
提高透明程度或许能够全面改善这一境况。如果小扎肯承认如今自己责任重大，也将有所帮助。
这是经济学人的句子，当时翻译群做过练习也讲过的，也可以背下来。
▲as引导的让步状语从句，意思是“尽管”时，把做表语或状语的形容词、名词、副词以及动词原形放在as前面：
还有一个as, though引导的让步状语从句倒装，这个点专门拎出来总结，分三种情况：表语、动词原形及状语的倒装。
▲表语的倒装
一般直接将表语提前到句首，若表语是带不定冠词a / an的单数可数名词，倒装后，不定冠词a / an须被省略。如：
Fine as / though he looks, he is ill with some serious diseases.
Child as / though he is, he knows much about the society.
▲原形动词的倒装
动词前面带有情态动词may, might, will, would, can, could等时，只将行为动词提到句首，而这些情态动词保留在原处。
Swim as / though he can, he can’t swim so far.
若动词前面没有情态动词时，应在动词原来的位置加上助动词do的适当形式。
Run as / though he did, he didn’t run fast enough to catch the bus.
用于这一句型的动词一般是不及物动词，而不能是系动词或及物动词。
▲状语倒装
In the classroom as / though he stays, he doesn’t read his texts.
尽管他呆在教室里，但他不读书。
Carefully as / though he worked, he made some mistakes.
尽管他工作很细心，但还是除了一些差错。
还有一种部分倒装涉及到虚拟语气，虚拟条件句中可以省略if，把从句中的助动词were, should, could, might, had放到主语前面：
Should recent experience be anything to go by, most of the new arrivals will test Mr Aher’s patience by tacking posters on his hostel’s walls, or endlessly complaining about the Wi-Fi.
这个也是经济学人里的句子，我上个月公众号里讲过这个视频，如果还不太理解这个句子，可以戳链接>>>经济学人|Room to Grow视频讲解