Inversion (was it / it was)

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Doing my homework I’ve produced the sentence:

Do you think now the situation was really so dangerous [size=134]OR[/size] [[color=blue]was it/ it was] just exaggeration in your mind?

Now I am in doubt about the last clause: should I apply inversion after OR as well or is it :slight_smile: the next question (by its contents)?

Help me, please…

Tamara

2

Hi Tamara

In your particular sentence, I would do one of the following:

  1. Simply omit “was it/it was” since they’re not necessary:
    Do you think now the situation was really so dangerous OR just exaggeration in your mind?

– or –

  1. Repeat the “Do you think” (followed by no inversion):
    Do you think now the situation was really so dangerous OR do you think it was just exaggeration in your mind?

– or –

  1. Invert (“was it”)
    Do you think now the situation was really so dangerous OR was it just exaggeration in your mind?

The reason for an inversion would be: By including the words “was” and “it”, you are repeating something that otherwise wouldn’t need to be repeated in the sentence. And for that reason I would treat the whole second half of the sentence as a separate question. i.e., invert subject and verb. The second half of the sentence may be less a question of what “you now think”. Instead, it may be more a suggestion of what the speaker thinks. :lol:

Just my two cents.
Amy

3

Dear Amy

You wrote:
"Just my two cents."

Meaning? :smiley: Please

Tom

4

Hi Tom :smiley:

It’s a short form of a well-known idiom:
alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxputino.html

Amy

5

Thanks Guest. Thanks Amy, your ‘two cents’ are very valued :slight_smile:

As by 10.20 a.m. (the time I was forced to go) I’d had the only opinion (Guest’s & my own), I’ve put it was in my initial sentence.
Now, in the evening, I’ve had the objective result: my tutor (native) had corrected it (was it) and, at my puzzled question, gave the similar rationale (as in Amy’s 3th case).
And now I’ve got school lines :wink:

P.S.

It reminded me the soundtrack of Mary Poppins (196?) ‘Feed the birds, tuppence a bag … Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag…’