the inversion sentence( i want to like a native speaker to understand in my brain)
it's so strange for understanding (i'm from china, i want to like a native speaker to understand the inversion sentence in my brain)
NORMAL ORDER: the doctor did not leave the patient untill he was sure everything was all right.
INVERTED ORDER: NOT until he was sure everything was all right did the doctor leave the patient.
Q: i know what does the until mean, even put the [untill he was sure...] at the begining of the sentence, but add a "not" before the "untill" , i could not understand better. Does the not modify untill? but until isn't verb. and what does "the did" mean in [did the doctor...] ? Does the did mean make?
N O: The man hardly ever leaves home after 9 p.m.
I O : Hardly ever does the man leave home after nine
Q: what does the "does" mean?
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Answers · 5
1
Such a good question! I will try to answer.
"Do/does/did" doesn't really have its own meaning here. It is more of a connecting word. However, it does tell you when something happens (present or past) and how many people are acting (singular or plural).
Some examples:
Not until he was sure everything was all right did the doctor leave the patient. (past tense, telling a story)
Not until he is sure everything is all right does the doctor leave the patient. (present tense, or describing what usually happens every day)
Not until they are sure everything is all right do the doctors leave the patient. (present tense, plural)
"Until" is a preposition. "Not" modifies "until" - it negates it. (Just like 不／没）It's just like if someone says :
"Where are my keys?"
And you say "Not here." ("Here" is also a preposition)
Someone can say, "When is the party?"
And you can say "Not until 5PM."
Does that help?
加油 ：）
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