Help the dramatic detective complete his official report about the Great Bakery Heist by choosing the correct phrase for each blank.
The chief noted that not only did the thief steal the baker's prized golden croissant, but the scoundrel also left a mocking note.
He furiously added that had the police secured the perimeter sooner, this sugary tragedy might have been avoided.
We all agreed that so cunning was the criminal's escape that even our own guard dogs stood up and applauded.
The chief noted that not only did the thief steal the baker's prized golden croissant, but the scoundrel also left a mocking note.
When a negative or restrictive phrase like "not only" is fronted (placed at the beginning of a clause for emphasis), it triggers subject-auxiliary inversion. We use the auxiliary "did" before the subject.
He furiously added that had the police secured the perimeter sooner, this sugary tragedy might have been avoided.
In formal or literary contexts, we can drop "if" in unreal conditional sentences by inverting the subject and the auxiliary verb ("had"). "Had the police secured" is the inverted form of "If the police had secured".
We all agreed that so cunning was the criminal's escape that even our own guard dogs stood up and applauded.
When "so + adjective" is fronted to emphasize a quality, it triggers subject-verb inversion. The verb "to be" swaps places with the subject.