Systematizing the use of inversion to prepare for gcse examination at ha van mao upper secondary school

PART I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale English is one of the necessary subjects for students in general, and it is more important for high school students because it is not only a compulsory subject at school but also a subject of decision in the important contests as high school exams and university entrance exams It is considered as a main key to open the treasure of human knowledge Like other languages, there are ways to emphasize in English Knowledge of inversion is an emphasized way which is quite popular in English For students, it is not easy to understand this form of emphasic and distinguish the differences in different situations As soon as students entered High school, teachers had to think about how to systematize elementary knowledge in English in order that students could be easily master these elements During the teaching process, I found that Inversion is one of the basic and important knowledge sections, but this knowledge was not fully synthesized in reference books and textbooks are only mentioned few simple structures While most of the exams for high school students have sentences related to inversion, most of students are embarrassed when they encounter these types of exercises Therefore, I chose the topic "Systematizing the use of Inversion to prepare for GCSE examination at Ha Van Mao Upper Secondary School" to provide a relatively complete system of using this topic to help students learn more effectively In my initiative experience, I focused on the theory of Inversion In each section, there is a simple, easy-to-understand example Next is the exercise assignments arranged from easy to difficult levels 1.2 Aims of the study This study is conducted to help students of Ha Van Mao upper secondary school to understand Inversion more clearly Furthermore, it is hoped that students learn how to use inversion phenomenon To summarize the above, my study is aimed at: - Providing the theretical background about English inversion - Analyzing the types of the Inversion and its specific usages - Some difficulties posibly encountered by students at Ha Van Mao upper secondary school when using inversion - Suggesting some feasible solutions to help teachers and students at the school improve the quality of teaching and learning English skills, especially in mastering English grammar rules 1.3 Scope of the study Given the rationale and the aims of the study , it is necessary to limit the study to the areas which are manageable Benefits of summarizing the knowledge involved with Inversion create the effectiveness of students’ learning and grammar which focus on two factors: developing students’s motivation and understanding of the lesson The subject under the study are the 12 th – form students at Ha Van Mao upper secondary school 1.4 Methods of the study To complete this study, the following steps implemented: - Collected references and books related to English grammar are analyzed in details to form the theoretical background this paper - The available theory concerning to Inversion is studied and followed in my study paper - Ideas of some possible difficulties are got from my understanding the English learning and teaching Ha Van Mao upper secondary school as well as my gained experiences in training course PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND 1.Theoretical background Nowadays, English is a language widely used in the world It is the official language of many countries and many people use it as a second language.It is used as the language of many important fields, such as: aviation, sports, business, engineering, etc It can be easily seen that we need to master English to be able to have better access to human knowledge, and with international integration Therefore, equipping students with good knowledge of this language and the skills to use it is very important Inversion is regarded as one of the essentially grammatical sections in English It is generally understood as a way to reverse certain words or phrases at the beginning of a sentence Then the verb form in the sentence is like a question but the sentence has no "?" And the purpose is not to ask but is to emphasize There are also cases when verbs are often reversed in front of the subject without the need for verbs For having the knowledge system to students adequately on Inversion, I have also refered to many different books In this study, I am focusing on the following key issues: - Distinguish between island and question - Inverted structures - Homework exercises and answers Practical background To master the knowledge of any subject, learners must meet some basic requirements First of all, they have to understand basic elements Next, students have to apply that knowledge to the tasks given by their teachers Learning English is the same, it requires learners systematize fully and remember correctly Knowledge of Inversion has always been a challenge for students because of its diversity In teaching practice, we can see that not all students master or systemize the knowledge related to this topic There are many reasons why students can not master this knowledge well The first reason is because of the English learning environment Primarily, students often practise writing to memorize grammatical structures and not pay attention much on practising speaking The second one is that students themselves are not aware of the necessity of learning English subject and learn English as a compulsory task The limited ability of the students for absorbing English lessons is also considered as a reason students can not achieve high results whereas some students have tried to spend much time on learning English The fourth reason is because students not know how to systematize the knowledge accordingly so that they can master the basic content of a lesson It is a fact that students try to remember the formula mechanically, or think carelessly and sometime not find out the nature of the problem clearly to infer basic conclusions Therefore, teachers should provide a fairly complete knowledge system to their students , and help them understand carefully the knowledge learned CHAPTER THE REALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING THE KNOWLEDGE OF INVERSION AT HA VAN MAO UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL Advantages: For students in general and at Ha Van Mao upper secondary school, teaching and learning have been received the attention of teachers, administrators and the whole students’ parents because most of them have realized the importance of mastering English Therefore, more and more equipments for foreign language teaching and learning have been gradually improved English teachers are fostered to improve their teaching quality and reference books for this subject are also rich and diverse In recent years, Thanh Hoa Department and Training has allowed English teachers to set up the curriculum for schools Therefore, teachers can focus on important knowledge areas or the knowledge that their students need tutoring Difficulties As far as disadvantageous aspects are concerned, the teaching and learning the knowledge of inversion in my school have some common difficulties : - There are many structures which confuse students - Teaching and learning facilities are limited - Some students are not really aware of the importance of English, so they have not worked hard and their background knowledge is not good - Teachers have not yet encouraged students' self-study, and students’s learning at school doesn’t recieve lots of attention from parents - Theories and exercises on this topic are not introduced in textbooks The grammar books and reference books also not fully systemize this section Therefore, teachers and students have difficulty in the knowledge system as well as finding practical exercises CHAPTER THE USE OF INVERSION IN ENGLISH DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN INVERSION AND INTERROGATIVE Inversion is a form of reversing the position of a subject and a verb or a auxiliary verbs in a sentence when certain words or phrases are placed at the beginning of a sentence The end of the sentence without the "?" with the purpose is not to ask but to emphasize Here is an example of Inversion: No sooner had we left our school than it started to rain There comes the bus Below is an example of interrogative: Last year I opened bookshop Oh really? Were you successful ? Inversion structures 2.1 Inversion with negative adverbs Never Never before Never in one’s life Never again + auxiliary + S + V(infinitive) Rarely Seldom Little Hardly ever Eg: - Never in mid-summer does it snow - Little we know about her 2.2 Inversion with NO and NOT No + Noun +auxiliary + S + V(infinitive) Not any + Noun + auxiliary + S + V(infinitive) Eg: - No money shall I lend you from now on - Not any money shall I lend you from now on 2.3 Inversion with NEITHER, NOR and SO Neither Nor + auxiliary + S So Eg: - My father likes football So does my brother.( My brother likes football too.) - She didn’t see the film on TV last night Neither did I / Nor did I.(I didn’t see the film on TV last night either) 2.4 Inversion with ONLY Only once Only later + auxiliary + S + V(infinitive) Only then Only by/in/with/at…+ Noun/V+ing Eg: - Only by working hard could he feed the family - Only later did I know who he was - Only in this bookshop can you buy this book Only when Only after + clause + auxiliary + S + V(infinitive) Only if Eg: - Only after he had graduated, did he start looking for a job - Only after all guests had gone home, could we relax 2.5 Inversion with some phrases At no time On no occasion On no account Under / in no circumstances + auxiliary + S + V For no reason In no way No longer Not for one moment Eg: - Under no circumstances is the money to be paid - On no condition shall we accept their proposal 2.6 No sooner …… than …… No sooner + had + S + Vpp + than + S + Vsp + Hardly + had + S + Vpp + when + S + Vsp + Scarcely + had + S + Vpp + when + S + Vsp + Scarcely + had + S + Vpp + when + S + Vsp + Eg: - Hardly had I arrived home when I had a new problem to cope with - Scarcely had we started lunch when the doorbell rang - No sooner had she handed in her paper than she realized her careless mistakes - Barely had he gone out of the house when his boss telephoned 2.7 Not only … but … also … Not only + auxiliary + S + V + but … also … + but ………… as well + but …………… too Eg: - Not only does he sing well but he also plays musical instruments perfectly - Not only did they rob but they smashed everything, too - Not only is he good at English but he also draw very well 2.8 Inversion with NOT UNTIL Not until + adverb of time / clause + auxiliary + S + V Eg: - Not until 10 o’clock will I come home = It’s not until 10 o’clock that I will come home = I won’t come home until 10 o’clock - Not until I got home did I know that I had lost my key = I didn’t know that I had lost my key until I got home 2.9 Inversion with NO WHERE No where … + auxiliary + S + V Eg: - No where I feel as comfortable as I at home - No where could we find him 2.10 Inversion with SO … THAT …; SUCH … THAT … So + adj/adv + auxiliary + S + V + that + clause Eg: - So dark is it that I can’t write = It is so dark that I can’t write - So difficult was the exam that few students passed it So + adj + a/an + noun + clause + that + clause Eg: So nice a day it was that all of us wanted to go out for a picnic So little So few So much So many + ( noun ) + auxiliary + S +V + that + clause Eg: - So much did he drink that he didn’t know the way to his home Such + be + noun + that + clause Eg: - Such was the force of the storm that all the trees were uprooted 2.11 Inversion with HERE and THERE Here + be / main Verb + noun There Eg: - Here comes the bus - Here are the answers - There goes the bus Note: Here + pronoun + be / main Verb There Eg: - Here he comes - There they arrive * There are some idiomatic expressions with HERE and THERE Here you are = This is for you Here are you = Someone has found you Here we are = We’ve arrived at the expected place There you are = That supports what I’ve said 2.12 Inversion with adverbs / adverbial phrases of place Adverb / adverbial phrase of place + main Verb + noun Eg: - At the end of September came several bad storms - Behind my house lies a river 2.13 Inversion with prepositions Down In From + verbs of motion + S Over Up Away Eg: - Down poured the rain - Away went the runner Note: - Away they went 2.14 Inversion with conditional sentences Type 1: If clause = should + S +V Eg: - If she comes late, she will miss the train = Should she come late, she will miss the train - I will give him your message if I meet him = I will give him your message should I meet him Type 2: If clause = Were + S + ( to V ) Eg: - If I were you, I would work harder = Were I you, I would work harder - If I knew her, I would invite her to the party = Were I to know her, I would invite her to the party Type 3: If clause = had + S + ( not ) + past participle Eg: - If my parents hadn’t encouraged me, I wouldn’t have passed the exam = Had my parents not encouraged me, I wouldn’t have passed the exam 2.15 Inversion with adverbs of order ( first, second…) Eg: - First came the ambulance 2.16 Inversion with verbs SAY, ASK, … in reported speech Eg: - “What you mean?” Henry asked / asked Henry But: - “What you mean?” he asked Inversion exercises and keys Exercise Rewrite these sentences, putting the underlined part in the first position She rarely smiles at me You can buy this book only in this shop She never in life feels happy My teacher is no longer teaching in this school He never smokes in bed She has never seen such a beautiful sight I know little about computer 8.The rich man seldom help the poor They rarely talk in class 10 She has made good progress only within two months 11.They no longer work here 12 It is hot enough to sit outside only in summer 13 We have never been to London 14 It is seldom wise to say to much about oneself 15 We rarely eat out Exercise Choose the best answer Not only but she is also very intelligent a she is beautiful b beautiful she is c is she beautiful d beautiful is she Seldom the guitar a he plays b does he play c he doesn’t play d he does play Hardly the family a does he feeds b he can feed c can he feed d can feed he Often a meeting a we have b we have c have we d we have Only at weekends my kids to Water Park a I don’t take b I take c I take d I take So old that she can’t dance a she isn’t b she is c isn’t she d is she Never the work been so easy a is b does c have d has Nowhere such cooperative staff a you can find b you find c can you find d you find Seldom a newspaper a buys Anna b does Anna buy c Anna does buy d Anna buys 10 Only by saving money, a house a he buy b he can buy c buy he d can he buy 11 Not even once the truth a he tells b he has told c has he told d he tell 12 No sooner than he begins to be washed a is a human being born b was a human being born c a human being born d a human being had been born 13 Seldom _ treated like that a I have been b am I c I am d I had been 14 Never before such a disaster a They suffer b they have suffered c they suffered d have they suffered 15 Only once a day home a we can speak b can we speak c we speak d we can’t speak Exercise Rewrite the sentences, beginning with the word or phrase given He had never been so happy before - Never ……………………………………………………… I have never heard such nonsense - Never ……………………………………………………… Public borrowing has seldom been so high - Seldom ……………………………………………………… She has never seen such a mess in her life - Never ……………………………………………………… They had seldom participated in such a fascinating ceremony - Seldom ……………………………………………………… They little suspected that the musical was going to be a runaway success - Little ………………………………………………………… The embassy staff little realized that Tet was a secret agent - Little ………………………………………………………… 10 I had hardly apologized when the door closed - Hardly ……………………………………………………… The shop can in no way hold responsibility for customers’ lost property - In no ………………………………………………………… 10 The couple had no sooner arrived than the priest started the ceremony - No sooner …………………………………………………… 11 Tom only understood the meaning of the comment when he saw his wife’s face - Only ………………………………………………………… 12 The restaurant can not accept animals under any circumstances - Under ………………………………………………………… 13 The artist rarely paid any attention to his agent’s advice - Rarely ……………………………………………………… 14 Her grief was so great that she almost fainted - So …………………………………………………………… 15 He got down to writing the letter as soon as he returned from his walk - No sooner …………………………………………………… Exercise Supply the correct form of the verbs in the brackets Never before I ( accept ) a bribe Not only they ( rob ), they ( smash ) everything too Not until he ( get ) home he ( realize ) that he ( lose ) his wallet On no account this switch ( must ) ( touch ) Only by shouting he ( be ) able ( make ) himself heard Only when he ( remove ) his dark glasses I (realize ) who he was No sooner the burglars ( leave ) the building than someone ( ring ) the bell Not once the great reptile ( surface ) Not since his childhood Jeff ( be ) back to the village 10 Not until we ( prepare ) dinner together I ( notice ) she ( wear ) a new ring on her finger 11 Seldom we ( have ) any time for ourselves 12 Rarely he ( meet ) such a beautiful girl 13 Hardly ever they ( manage ) to meet unobserved 14 Look There the children ( go ) 15 Only then she ( realize ) her mistake Exercise Rewrite these sentences, using inversion We can get experience only by experiencing He had hardly left the room when the telephone rang Bill never talks about his background The distances between the planets are so immense that it’s impossible for us to measure They not only refused to give me a helping hand but also made faces at me The director was so angry that none of his employees dared to utter a word If I were the Prime Minister, I’d reduce taxes 11 The lecturer had no sooner begun to talk than many people booed The new monument stands near the Town Hall 10 If she had met him before, she might have married him Exercise Complete the sentence with suitable words Never … so many people working so hard In no way … such a discreet man betray our secrets On no account … be revealed to our competition Only in Britain … the notion of a gentleman’s agreement be understood Not only … the piano brilliantly but she also sings well Never in my life … so humiliated Under no circumstances … the fire doors be locked Not once during her entire life … in trouble with the law Not only … rather naïve but he also seems to be very sensitive 10 Seldom … any assistance or advice ANSWER KEY Exercise 1 Rarely does she smile at me Only in this shop can you buy this book Never in life does she feel happy No longer is my teacher teaching in this school Never does he smoke in bed Never has she seen such a beautiful sight Little I know about computer Seldom does the rich man help the poor Rarely they talk in class 10 Only within two months has she made good progress 11 No longer they work here 12 Only in summer is it hot enough to sit outside 13 Never have we been to London 14 Seldom is it wise to say too much about oneself 15 Rarely we eat out Exercise 1.C 2.B 3.C 4.A 5.B 6.D 7.D 8.C 9.B 10.D 11.C 12.A 13.B 14.D 15.B Exercise Never had he been so happy before Never have I heard such nonsense Seldom has public borrowing been so high Never in her life has she seen such a mess Seldom had they participated in such a fascinating ceremony Little did they suspect that the musical was going to be a runaway success Little did the embassy staff realize that Tet was a secret agent 12 Hardly had I apologized when the door closed In no way can the shop hold responsibility for customers’ lost property 10 No sooner had the couple arrived than the priest started the ceremony 11 Only when he saw his wife’s face did Tom understand the meaning of the comment 12 Under no circumstances can the restaurant accept animals 13 Rarely did the artist pay any attention to his agent’s advice 14 So great was her grief that she almost fainted 15 No sooner had he returned from his walk than he got down to writing the letter Exercise have I accepted did they rob; smashed got; did he realize; had lost must this switch be touched was he; to make removed; did he realize had the burglars left; rang has the great reptile surfaced has Jeff been 10 were preparing; did … notice; was wearing 11 we have 12 does he meet 13 have they managed 14 go the children 15 did she realize Exercise Only by experiencing can we get experience Hardly had he left the room when the telephone rang Never does Bill talk about his background So immense are the distances between the planets that it’s impossible for us to measure Not only did they refuse to give me a helping hand but they also made faces at me So angry was the director that none of his employees dared to utter a word Were I the Prime Minister, I’d reduce taxes No sooner had the lecturer begun to talk than many people booed Near the Town Hall stands the new monument 10 Had she met him before, she might have married him Exercise have I seen would/could must/should/can this 13 could/can does she play have/had I been should/must has she been is he 10 have I received WRITTEN TEST ( OPTION ) Time allowed: 45 minutes I Choose the best answer ( points ) Never me again a will she love b she loves c she won’t love d she will love Not only but she also intelligent a she is beautiful b beautiful she is c is she beautiful d beautiful is she No sooner out than it rained a did I go b I went c had I gone d I had gone Seldom the guitar a he plays b does he play c he doesn’t play d he does play Hardly a word when her son came back a couldn’t she say b she could say c she couldn’t say d could she say Often a meeting a we have b we have c have we d we have Many a time he wants to marry me a said he b he said c has he said d he has said Only at weekend my kids to Water Park a I don’t take b I take c I take d I take So old that she couldn’t dance a she wasn’t b she was c wasn’t she d was she 10 here yesterday, you would have met her a Were you b You were c Had you been d You had been 11 On the battle field a the tank did lie b the tank lays 14 c did the tank lie d lay the tank 12 Nowhere such cooperative staff a you can find b you found c you could d can you find 13 Never before in an earnest attempt to resolve their differences a have the leaders of these two countries met b the leaders of these two countries have met c have the leaders of these two countries meet d met the leaders of these two countries 14 Only by studying hard this exam a can you pass b you can pass c pass you can d can pass you 15 Seldom a newspaper a buy Anna b does Anna buy c bought Anna d Anna does buy 16 Out from its tiny cage a does the bird fly b fly the bird c did the bird fly d flew the bird 17 It was a victory that even Smith’s fans couldn’t believe it a such surprising b too surprising c so surprising d surprising enough 18 Such that we all felt numb a a cold weather was b was a cold weather c cold the weather d was cold weather 19 that he felt he didn’t need to revise any more a So confident was that arrogant student of passing b Such was the confidence of that arrogant student on passing c So confident in passing was that arrogant student d Such confidence in passing did that arrogant student have 20 Not until himself seriously ill a he had complete the task did he find b had he completed the task did he find c had he completed the task he found d did he completed the task he had 21 Never before such a disaster a They suffer b they have suffered c they suffered d have they suffered 22 Only once a day home a we can speak b can we speak c we speak d we can’t speak 23 Hardly out when it started to rain a they went b they had gone c had they gone d did they gone 24 Not until she was twenty how to read 15 a does she know b did she know c she knew d she knows 25 Only when you are allowed the motorbike a can you use b you can use c don’t you use d you use II Complete the sentence with suitable words (1 point) No sooner had Martin sat down … the telephone rang … only did he refuse to help me but he also laughed at me … I the Prime Minister, I’d reduce taxes … angry was the director that none of his employees dared to utter a word Not until he got home … he remember about the gun III Rewrite these sentences, using inversion structure (4 points) They only understood what was happening when they heard the news on TV She never at any time said that she was allergic to cats The restaurant can’t accept animals under any circumstances The matter could be explained in no other way We had hardly started when it began to rain I have seldom heard such beautiful singing I shall never forget your kindness I saw only then the danger we were in He didn’t realize that he had lost the key until he got home 10 They not only robbed, they smashed everything too KEY I A A 11 D 16 D C C 12 D 17 C C B 13 A 18 D B D 14 A 19 A D 10.C 15 B 20 A II than Not Were So did III Only when they heard the news on TV did understand what was happening At no time did she say that she was allergic to cats Under no circumstances can the restaurant accept animals In no other way could the matter be explained Hardly had we started when it began to rain Seldom have I heard such beautiful singing Never shall I forget your kindness Only then did I see the danger we were in Not until he got home did he realize that he had lost the key 10 Not only did they rob, they smashed everything too CHAPTER VERIFYING THE SOLUTION OF THE STUDY 16 Although students sometimes encounter this kind of Inversion exercises in the textook, workbook or even in the examination tests, they are very confused when aggregated assignments involving in the knowledge from Inversion One of the reasons students feel difficul is that they can not be able to systematize knowledge fully I have conducted for some groups of students in my school to a synthesis exercise, and the results of their homework is not good Results verified solutions that are implemented with 114 students at classes of 12A1, 12A3, and 12A5 at Ha Van Mao upper secondary school in the academic year : 2018- 2019 are following: ( See appendix on page: For the 1st homework results (when students are not full system) Class Number of students 12A1 35 12A3 38 12A5 38 Very Good 5.7% 2.6% 0% Moderately good 20% 15.7% 10.5% Average 17 16 17 48.5% 42.1% 44.7% Weak 15 17 25.8% 39.6% 44.8% However, by applying new approach, I acommodated the students with the system which is quite adequate knowledge related to this verb and helped them to understand and differentiate the usage of verbs, and then assigned similar tasks to students , the results received were more positive For the 2nd homework results (after the full system) Class Number of Very Good students 12A1 35 25.7% 12A2 38 15.7% 12A3 38 10.5% Moderately good 17 48.5% 15 39.4% 14 36.8% Average 14 15 23% 36.8% 39.4% Weak 2.8% 8.1% 13.3% PART III: CONCLUSION Important issues mentioned in the initiative In this initiative, I have fully systematized the theory of inversion in English Besides, there are special cases of inversion knowledge and the knowledge related to inversion Attached to the theory is a rich exercise section from easy to difficult levels Practical effectiveness of the initiative From the knowledge system that I wrote in my initiative and drew experiences in the process of teaching , I found myself more confident when teaching students this part of knowledge My students are no longer confused when doing these 17 exercises They feel more active, more excited and most of them their homework with better results Recommendations In the process of teaching English at the upper secondary school level, I have recognized that a lot of students can not easily understand and remember the knowledge that teachers impart When being asked for their ability to access English at the upper secondary school, even some good English students at lower secondary school have supposed that mastering English knowledge at higher levels becomes more and more difficult Moreover, as the experts say that the language still has the arbitrariness rather than the natural science subjects bacause the rule itself has many exceptions Learning a foreign language is not only merely just on books but it also requires sound environment effectively It is to be communicating with native speakers, or at least students must also regularly use it for daily communication However, it is difficult for teachers as well as pupils to it Therefore, the students feel learning a foreign language is difficult As a teacher of English , I always try to help my students systematize a fairly full knowledge so that they can easily remember, understand and review when necessary In this initiative, I re-systemized what I have accumulated and learned from the years of teaching and reference from colleagues Previously, when we have not taught this topic, Inversion is a difficult concept and sometimes makes students confused how to use it in various cases However, they can be able to grasp fully the relative usages, distinguish the differences and the systematize the knowledge to remember logically Of course, knowledge is infinite and language changes over time Therefore, I am looking forward to the leadership equiping us with equipment and materials to help us have better teaching conditions and learning with high effectiveness I also look forward to receiving the contributions from professionals, English teachers for my study to make it better XÁC NHẬN CỦA TỔ TRƯỞNG CHUYÊN MÔN Thanh Hãa, ngày 26 tháng Năm 2019 Cam kết không copy DƯƠNG NGỌC LỊCH XÁC NHẬN CỦA THỦ TRƯỞNG ĐƠN VỊ 18 19 ... that + clause Eg: - So much did he drink that he didn’t know the way to his home Such + be + noun + that + clause Eg: - Such was the force of the storm that all the trees were uprooted 2.11 Inversion. .. system to their students , and help them understand carefully the knowledge learned CHAPTER THE REALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING THE KNOWLEDGE OF INVERSION AT HA VAN MAO UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL Advantages:... Advantages: For students in general and at Ha Van Mao upper secondary school, teaching and learning have been received the attention of teachers, administrators and the whole students’ parents because