Special Structures
Inversion, cleft sentences, emphatic do, there be, modal idioms, ellipsis
What are Special Structures?
Special structures are sentence patterns that deviate from normal word order or use special devices for emphasis, focus, or rhetorical effect. They include inversion, cleft sentences, emphatic "do", there be structure, modal idioms & special predicates, and ellipsis.
Common Special Structures
Inversion
Reversing the normal subject-verb order for emphasis or after negative/restrictive words at the start. Full inversion (verb before subject) or partial inversion (auxiliary before subject).
Never have I seen such beauty.
Hardly had she arrived when it started to rain.
Never before had the monkeys seen such a magnificent palace inside the mountain.
From novelCleft Sentences
Split a sentence to focus on one part. "It is/was + focused part + that/who + rest." Used to emphasize a specific element.
It was John who broke the window.
Emphatic "Do"
Adding "do/does/did" before a base verb for emphasis in affirmative sentences.
I do like this song!
There be Structure
"There + be + noun" introduces existence or occurrence. The verb agrees with the noun that follows it.
There is a book on the table.
There are three cats in the garden.
Modal Idioms & Special Predicates
Fixed sentence patterns that require a bare infinitive (verb without "to") after certain expressions: cannot/could not help but do, would rather do than do, had better do, do nothing but do. Academic term: Semi-modals & Special Predicates. ⚠️ Note: "cannot help doing" uses a gerund and belongs to Non-finite & Absolute Constructions → Fixed Collocations, not this pattern.
I could not help but laugh at the joke.
cannot/could not help but + bare infinitive = cannot resist doing
She would rather stay at home than go out.
would rather + bare infinitive + than + bare infinitive = prefer to do A rather than do B
You had better tell her the truth.
had better + bare infinitive = should / ought to (stronger advice, often implying negative consequences if not followed)
He did nothing but complain all day.
do nothing but + bare infinitive = only do / do nothing except
Ellipsis
Omitting words that can be understood from context to avoid repetition. Common in compound sentences (omitting the predicate), relative clauses (omitting relative pronoun + be), and comparative adverbial clauses (omitting the linking verb).
He likes apples, and I bananas.
Compound sentence ellipsis: omit the repeated predicate verb
The man standing there is my father.
Relative clause ellipsis: omit "relative pronoun + be" before a participle
She is taller than I.
Comparative adverbial clause ellipsis: omit the linking verb after the subject