grammar · formal

Seldom / Rarely + auxiliary + subject + V

Band 5-6speakingtask2

Adverbs like 'seldom' or 'rarely' placed at the start of a sentence cause inversion of auxiliary and subject for emphasis.

Examples

“Seldom have I seen such dedication.”

“Rarely does this kind of problem occur in developed cities.”

“Seldom had they encountered such resistance.”

Band 8 sentence

“Seldom have we witnessed a more coordinated response from local authorities.”

Collocations

  • Seldom / Rarely + auxiliary + subject + V

Common mistakes

Seldom I have seen such a thing.→Seldom have I seen such a thing.

Rarely they experience delays on this route.→Rarely do they experience delays on this route.

Say it for a higher band

5I rarely see→6Rarely do I see→7+Seldom / Rarely + auxiliary + subject + V

Synonyms

Hardly / Scarcely

Easily confused

Hardly had + subject + past participle

“Hardly had the concert started when it began to rain.”

Related words

By the time + clause, clauseWhether + clause (or not)So + adjective + that + clauseEven if + clause, clauseSuch + (a/an) + noun + that + clauseIf + past perfect, would have + past participleOn the one hand + clause; on the other hand + clauseGiven that + clause, + clause

Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.

In Complex sentences

Learn it with its set