Formal conditional inversion in complex sentences including negative forms
Q1. Had I but known, I ___ things differently
HAD I KNOWN replaces IF I HAD KNOWN. Regrets are poetical. Outcomes were fixed.
Q2. Were they to offer the position, I ___ accept immediately
WERE THEY TO OFFER replaces IF THEY OFFERED. Hypotheticals are formal. Careers pivot.
Q3. Should you require assistance, do not ___ to ask
SHOULD YOU REQUIRE is highly formal. Assistance is offered. Hesitation is discouraged.
Q4. Had they not intervened, the situation ___ catastrophic
Negative inversion: HAD THEY NOT. Intervention occurred. Disaster was averted.
Q5. Which inversion is most formal?
All inversions belong to formal register. Legal documents approve. Casual speech declines.