Can you help me? I have a question for native English speakers.
I've read an article, but some sentences confused me.

- The earliest recorded weight-driven mechanical clock was built in 1283 in Bedfordshire in England. The revolutionary aspect of this new timekeeper was neither the descending weight that provided it motive force nor the gear wheels(which had been around for at least 1,300 years) that transferred the power; it was the part called the escapement. In the early 1400s came the invention of the coiled spring or fusee which maintained constant force to the gear wheels of the timekeeper despite the changing tension of its mainspring.

1. 'came' written in the above article make it difficult for me to understand. I think it should be changed to "In the early 1400s the invention of the coiled spring~". Without the 'came'! Am I right?

Question

Can you help me? I have a question for native English speakers.
I've read an article, but some sentences confused me.

- The earliest recorded weight-driven mechanical clock was built in 1283 in Bedfordshire in England. The revolutionary aspect of this new timekeeper was neither the descending weight that provided it motive force nor the gear wheels(which had been around for at least 1,300 years) that transferred the power; it was the part called  the escapement. In the early 1400s came the invention of the coiled spring or fusee which maintained constant force to the gear wheels of the timekeeper despite the changing tension of its mainspring.

1. 'came' written in the above article make it difficult for me to understand. I think it should be changed to "In the early 1400s  the invention of the coiled spring~". Without the 'came'! Am I right?

Answer

Removing "came" would make the sentence nonsensical. It's the verb, after all.

This is another case of grammatical "inversion", this time used to highlight the time.  Also, you'll notice that it's a fairly long sentence, so trying to write it in "simpler" word-order will just create a chaotic sentence. All parts need to be balanced so the reader doesn't lose track.

Answer

It could be worded the way you suggested but it can also be worded the way thy have it. It might be easier to understand if phrased "WITH the 1400s came the..." It just shows that the 1400s came into existence along with the coiled spring.

Answer

it means that the new invention came next... happened next... 
its necessary and is the verb in this sentence. you know, you can ask me these questions on kakao any time :)

Answers · 5

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