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Inversion: full verb before subject

After adverbial expressions of place: Along the road came …​

When an adverbial expression of place or direction comes at the beginning of a clause, intransitive verbs are often put before their subjects. This happens especially when a new indefinite subject is being introduced. The structure is most common in literary and descriptive writing.

  • Under a tree was lying one of the biggest men I had ever seen.
  • On the grass sat an enormous frog.
  • Directly in front of them stood a great castle.
  • Along the road came a strange procession.

This structure is often used in speech with here, there and other short adverbs and adverb particles.

  • Here comes Freddy! (not Here Freddy comes!)
  • There goes your brother.
  • I stopped the car, and up walked a police officer.
  • The door opened and out came Angela’s boyfriend.

If the subject is a pronoun, it goes before the verb.

  • Here she comes. (not Here comes she.)
  • Off we go!

Inversion is normal in here/there is/are …

  • Here are your keys. (not Here your keys are.)
  • Look – there’s the bus.

In informal speech, here’s and there’s often introduce plural subjects (see here).

  • Here’s those papers you wanted.

Reporting: ‘What do you mean?’ asked Henry.​

In story-telling, the subject often comes after reporting verbs like said, asked, suggested, etc when these follow direct speech.

  • ‘What do you mean?’ asked Henry. (or … Henry asked.)
  • ‘I love you,’ whispered Jess.

If the subject is a pronoun, it usually comes before the verb.

  • ‘What do you mean?’ he asked.