Diagramming Inversions

It is not especially unusual to find English sentences that deviate from the so-called "normal order": that is, subject-verb-complement.  In diagramming, it is sometimes necessary to draw a "bridge" to model constructions exhibiting inversion.  Here are some examples.

One common deviation from normal order is represented by the It is . . . that or the There is . . . construction.  In these constructions, the logical or grammatical subject, respectively, is postponed until after the verb.

In this example, the It is . . . that construction results in the postponement of the logical (though not the grammatical) subject.  The It, as the grammatical subject of the verb is, merely holds the place of the logical subject, which in this case is the clause that you complete, etc.  

The There is . . . construction results in a complement-verb-subject order.  The structure of modification in this sentence is also ambiguous: should the first cut in the construction a great sense of accomplishment in finishing a task on your own be taken after the first a, or should it be taken after accomplishment, as is indicated in the diagram?

Another sort of inversion may occur as the result of the structure of a subordinate clause.

The first two examples exhibit the order complement-subject-verb in the subordinate clauses (tapes Randy bought and unhappy this makes, respectively).  The last of the three examples exhibits the order verb-subject-complement in the subordinate clauses (Be he alive, be he dead).   Note that in the last of the three examples, the contraction I'll--for I will-- must be divided in diagramming, and will grind is treated as a single element (see the discussion of verbs with auxiliaries).

These are not the only kinds of inversion.  The normal way of forming a question in English, for example, involves inversion.  These examples are intended only to provide clues about how to deal with inversions in diagramming.

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