Inversion with 'hardly'

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1
  1. Hardly have I had any rest for a week.
  2. Hardly had I had any rest for a week.
    Out of the two, which is correct?
    If both are correct, in what way they differ in meaning?
2

Neither are correct.

I have hardly had any rest for a week.
I have had hardly any rest for a week.

3

Mr. Beeesneees
Your two sentences are in ordinary form. They are not in inversion form.
How I change them into inversion form? Please help.

4

“Hardly have I prepared the tea when the door bell rings.”
Here I have used present perfect with ‘hardly’.
Is this a negative inversion sentence?

5

Some sentences simply don’t take naturally to an inverted form. They sound awkward and unnatural.

6

Hi Allifathima,

As Beeesneees has said, not all sentences are easily begun with the word ‘hardly’ and an inverted subject and verb. With ‘hardly’ introducing a sentence, you will normally need two clauses in the sentence. The other clause typically begins with ‘when’. I’d also say a sentence about the past is by far the most likely candidate for such a sentence, so I think the following sentence would be more typical than your present perfect sentence:

  • Hardly had I sat down to tea when the doorbell rang.

Here are few more examples:

  • Hardly had his speculations begun when they abruptly ended.
  • Hardly had the plane taken off when the pilot announced an emergency.

You should keep in mind that a sentence beginning with ‘hardly’ and inversion is not likely to be used in spoken English at all, and it is also used rather infrequently even in written English since it is emphatic. Some emphatic inversions are fairly common in spoken English, but this inversion with ‘hardly’ isn’t one of them.