Subject–auxiliary inversion (also called
subject–operator inversion) is a frequently occurring type of
inversion in
English, whereby a finite
auxiliary verb – taken here to include finite forms of the
copula be – appears to "invert" (change places) with the
subject. The word order is therefore Aux-S (auxiliary–subject), which is the opposite of the canonical SV (
subject–verb) order of declarative clauses in English. The most frequent use of subject–auxiliary inversion in English is in the formation of
questions, although it also has other uses, including the formation of condition clauses, and in the syntax of sentences beginning with negative expressions (
negative inversion).