Đảo ngữ nâng cao — 10 cấu trúc đầy đủ

Đảo ngữ (Inversion) là kỹ thuật đặt trợ động từ trước chủ ngữ để nhấn mạnh. Đây là điểm ngữ pháp quan trọng trong VSTEP B2, thường xuất hiện ở phần Writing và Use of English.

1. Never / Rarely / Seldom + trợ ĐT + S + V

Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset.
Rarely does she complain about anything.
Seldom do students get a perfect score.

2. Not only + trợ ĐT + S + V, but ... also

Not only did he pass the exam, but he also scored the highest.
Not only is she intelligent, but she is also hardworking.

3. No sooner + had + S + V(pp) + than

No sooner had I arrived than it started raining.
No sooner had the meeting begun than the fire alarm went off.

4. Hardly / Scarcely + had + S + V(pp) + when/before

Hardly had she finished speaking when the audience applauded.
Scarcely had they left before the storm hit.

5. Little + trợ ĐT + S + V

Little did he know that his life was about to change.
Little do they realize the importance of this decision.

6. Only + trạng từ/giới từ + trợ ĐT + S + V

Only after the exam did I understand the material.
Only by studying hard can you achieve a B2 certificate.
Only when she left did he realize how much he loved her.

7. Under no circumstances + trợ ĐT + S + V

Under no circumstances should you share your password.
Under no circumstances will we accept late submissions.

8. Not until + mệnh đề + trợ ĐT + S + V

Not until midnight did the rain stop.
Not until I read the report did I understand the problem.

9. So + adj/adv + trợ ĐT + S + V + that

So beautiful was the painting that everyone stopped to admire it.
So quickly did he run that no one could catch him.

10. Such + be + N + that

Such was his anger that he couldn't speak.
Such is the importance of education that governments invest heavily.

Bảng tổng hợp nhanh

#	Cấu trúc	Ví dụ bắt đầu
1	Never/Rarely/Seldom + aux + S	Never have I...
2	Not only + aux + S... but also	Not only did he...
3	No sooner + had + S + PP + than	No sooner had I...
4	Hardly/Scarcely + had + S + PP + when	Hardly had she...
5	Little + aux + S	Little did he know...
6	Only + adv/prep + aux + S	Only after... did I...
7	Under no circumstances + aux + S	Under no circumstances should...
8	Not until + clause + aux + S	Not until... did he...
9	So + adj + aux + S + that	So beautiful was...
10	Such + be + N + that	Such was his anger...

Lưu ý VSTEP: Đảo ngữ thường xuất hiện trong Writing Task 2 (essay) để tăng band điểm Grammar. Sử dụng 2–3 câu đảo ngữ trong bài viết là đủ — không nên lạm dụng.

Chọn đáp án đúng nhất để hoàn thành câu.

1. Never _____ such a wonderful performance.

A. I have seen
B. have I seen
C. I had seen
D. did I seen

2. Not only _____ the exam, but she also got the highest score.

A. she passed
B. did she pass
C. she did pass
D. passed she

3. No sooner _____ home than it started to rain.

A. had I arrived
B. I had arrived
C. did I arrive
D. I arrived

4. Hardly _____ speaking when the phone rang.

A. had she finished
B. she had finished
C. she finished
D. did she finish

5. Little _____ that his invention would change the world.

A. he knew
B. did he know
C. he did know
D. knew he

6. Only after the meeting _____ the truth.

A. I discovered
B. did I discover
C. I did discover
D. discovered I

7. Under no circumstances _____ the building without permission.

A. you should leave
B. should you leave
C. you leave
D. do you leave

8. Not until midnight _____ studying.

A. she stopped
B. did she stop
C. she did stop
D. stopped she

9. So impressed _____ that he offered her the job immediately.

A. the manager was
B. was the manager
C. the manager did
D. did the manager

10. Rarely _____ to the theater these days.

A. we go
B. do we go
C. we did go
D. going we

11. _____ had I opened the door when the cat ran out.

A. Hardly
B. Never
C. Always
D. Often

12. Not only _____ English fluently, but he also speaks French.

A. he speaks
B. does he speak
C. he does speak
D. speaks he

13. _____ does she realize how talented she is.

A. Hardly
B. Little
C. Much
D. Great

14. Only by working together _____ solve this problem.

A. we can
B. can we
C. we could
D. could

15. Seldom _____ such generosity in today's world.

A. you see
B. do you see
C. you seeing
D. see you

16. No sooner _____ the news than she burst into tears.

A. she heard
B. had she heard
C. did she hear
D. she had heard

17. _____ was his determination that nothing could stop him.

A. So
B. Such
C. Very
D. Much

18. Only when you experience failure _____ appreciate success.

A. you can
B. can you
C. you will
D. you do

19. At no time _____ aware of the danger.

A. I was
B. was I
C. I had been
D. had been I

20. Not until the results were announced _____ how well she had done.

A. she realized
B. did she realize
C. she did realize
D. realized she

21. Nowhere _____ a more peaceful place than this village.

A. you will find
B. will you find
C. you find
D. finding you

22. So quickly _____ that nobody noticed.

A. he left
B. did he leave
C. he did leave
D. left he

23. In no way _____ responsible for the accident.

A. she was
B. was she
C. she is
D. is she

24. Only if you study hard _____ pass the VSTEP exam.

A. you will
B. will you
C. you can
D. you do

25. Barely _____ the station when the train departed.

A. we reached
B. had we reached
C. we had reached
D. did we reach

26. Not a single word _____ during the meeting.

A. he said
B. did he say
C. he says
D. says he

27. _____ beautiful was the sunset that we stopped the car to take photos.

A. Such
B. Very
C. So
D. Too

28. Only after graduating from university _____ find a good job.

A. she could
B. could she
C. she can
D. can she

29. Never before _____ such heavy traffic in this area.

A. there has been
B. has there been
C. there was
D. was there

30. On no account _____ this information to anyone.

A. you must reveal
B. must you reveal
C. you reveal
D. revealing you

ĐÁP ÁN

Câu	Đáp án	Câu	Đáp án	Câu	Đáp án
1	B	11	A	21	B
2	B	12	B	22	B
3	A	13	B	23	B
4	A	14	B	24	B
5	B	15	B	25	B
6	B	16	B	26	B
7	B	17	B	27	C
8	B	18	B	28	B
9	B	19	B	29	B
10	B	20	B	30	B

Giải thích nhanh: Quy tắc chung — khi câu bắt đầu bằng từ/cụm từ mang nghĩa phủ định hoặc hạn chế, trợ động từ phải đứng trước chủ ngữ. Câu 17: dùng "Such" vì theo sau là danh từ (his determination). Câu 27: dùng "So" vì theo sau là tính từ (beautiful).

Câu chẻ nâng cao — Cleft Sentences

Câu chẻ (Cleft sentences) dùng để nhấn mạnh một thành phần cụ thể trong câu. Đây là công cụ mạnh để tăng điểm Grammar trong VSTEP Writing.

1. It is/was ... that/who (It-cleft)

Nhấn mạnh bất kỳ thành phần nào:

Nhấn mạnh chủ ngữ:
John broke the window. → It was John who broke the window.

Nhấn mạnh tân ngữ:
She bought a car. → It was a car that she bought.

Nhấn mạnh trạng từ:
He left yesterday. → It was yesterday that he left.
They met in Paris. → It was in Paris that they met.

2. What ... is/was (What-cleft)

Nhấn mạnh hành động hoặc sự việc:

She needs more practice. → What she needs is more practice.
I admire his honesty. → What I admire is his honesty.
They did nothing. → What they did was nothing.

3. All ... is/was (All-cleft)

Nhấn mạnh "chỉ cần" hoặc "duy nhất":

You need to study. → All you need to do is study.
I want peace. → All I want is peace.
She said sorry. → All she said was sorry.

4. The thing/reason/place/person ... is/was

The thing that worries me is the deadline.
The reason (why) I called is to ask for help.
The place where we first met was the library.
The person who helped me was my neighbor.

5. It is not until ... that (Kết hợp đảo ngữ)

He didn't realize the truth until she left.
→ It was not until she left that he realized the truth.
→ Not until she left did he realize the truth. (đảo ngữ)

Bảng so sánh các dạng câu chẻ

Dạng	Cấu trúc	Nhấn mạnh
It-cleft	It is/was + X + that/who	Bất kỳ thành phần nào
What-cleft	What + S + V + is/was	Hành động, sự việc
All-cleft	All + S + V + is/was	"Chỉ cần", "duy nhất"
The thing-cleft	The thing/reason + is/was	Cụ thể hóa đối tượng

Mẹo VSTEP: Dùng What-cleft và It-cleft trong phần mở bài hoặc kết luận Writing Task 2 để tạo ấn tượng mạnh. Ví dụ: "What the government should do is invest more in education."

1. _____ the manager who made the final decision.

A. He was
B. It was
C. That was
D. What was

2. What she really needs _____.

A. is a vacation
B. a vacation is
C. it is a vacation
D. was a vacation is

3. All you have to do _____ fill in the form.

A. was
B. is
C. were
D. being

4. It was in 2020 _____ the pandemic started.

A. when
B. that
C. which
D. where

5. _____ I admire about her is her determination.

A. It
B. That
C. What
D. All

6. It was Tom _____ broke the window, not John.

A. which
B. that
C. whom
D. whose

7. The reason _____ I'm calling is to confirm the appointment.

A. what
B. which
C. why
D. how

8. _____ they did was complain about the food.

A. It
B. That
C. All
D. What

9. It was not until she graduated _____ she found a job.

A. when
B. that
C. which
D. before

10. What matters most _____ your attitude, not your aptitude.

A. is
B. are
C. was
D. were

11. It _____ in Paris that they first met.

A. is
B. was
C. has been
D. had been

12. The place _____ I feel most relaxed is my garden.

A. which
B. that
C. where
D. when

13. All I want _____ some peace and quiet.

A. is
B. are
C. was
D. being

14. _____ surprised me was how quickly he recovered.

A. It
B. That
C. What
D. Which

15. It is education _____ can change the world.

A. what
B. which
C. that
D. who

16. What the country needs _____ strong leadership.

A. is
B. are
C. has
D. have

17. The thing _____ bothers me most is dishonesty.

A. who
B. whom
C. that
D. where

18. It was because of the rain _____ the match was canceled.

A. why
B. that
C. which
D. when

19. All he ever talks about _____ football.

A. is
B. are
C. were
D. has been

20. _____ I like best about this city is the food.

A. It
B. That
C. What
D. Which

21. It is the students who _____ responsible for their own learning.

A. is
B. are
C. was
D. has been

22. What happened next _____ completely unexpected.

A. is
B. was
C. were
D. are

23. The person _____ you should talk to is the department head.

A. which
B. whom
C. where
D. when

24. It was only after the investigation _____ the cause was identified.

A. when
B. that
C. which
D. where

25. All we can do now _____ wait for the results.

A. is
B. are
C. was
D. were

ĐÁP ÁN

Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA
1	B	6	B	11	B	16	A	21	B
2	A	7	C	12	C	17	C	22	B
3	B	8	C	13	A	18	B	23	B
4	B	9	B	14	C	19	A	24	B
5	C	10	A	15	C	20	C	25	A

Giả định pháp — Subjunctive Mood

1. Wish / If only + Quá khứ đơn (ước ở hiện tại)

I wish I knew the answer. (Tôi ước tôi biết câu trả lời — hiện tại không biết)
If only she were here. (Giá mà cô ấy ở đây — hiện tại không ở đây)

Lưu ý: Dùng "were" cho tất cả ngôi (I/he/she/it) trong văn phong trang trọng.

2. Wish / If only + Quá khứ hoàn thành (ước ở quá khứ)

I wish I had studied harder. (Ước tôi đã học chăm hơn)
If only we hadn't made that mistake. (Giá mà chúng ta đã không mắc lỗi đó)

3. Wish / If only + would + V-inf (ước ai đó thay đổi)

I wish you would stop making noise. (Tôi ước bạn ngừng gây ồn)
If only it would stop raining. (Giá mà trời ngừng mưa)

Lưu ý: KHÔNG dùng "I wish I would" — chủ ngữ wish và would phải khác nhau.

4. Suggest / Recommend / Insist / Demand / Require + (should) + V-inf

The doctor suggested (that) she (should) take more rest.
I insist (that) he (should) be present at the meeting.
The committee demanded (that) the report (should) be submitted by Friday.
She recommended (that) we (should) start early.

Lưu ý: "should" có thể lược bỏ → dùng V-inf trần (bare infinitive).

5. It's time / It's high time + Quá khứ đơn

It's time we left. (Đã đến lúc chúng ta đi.)
It's high time you started studying seriously. (Đã đến lúc bạn bắt đầu học nghiêm túc.)

6. Would rather + S + Quá khứ đơn (muốn ai đó làm gì)

I would rather you didn't smoke here.
She would rather he stayed at home.

Bảng tổng hợp

Cấu trúc	Thì/Dạng	Ý nghĩa
Wish/If only + V2 (were)	Past Simple	Ước hiện tại khác đi
Wish/If only + had + V3	Past Perfect	Ước quá khứ khác đi
Wish + S2 + would + V	Would + V-inf	Muốn ai đó thay đổi
Suggest/Insist + (should) + V	Bare infinitive	Đề xuất/yêu cầu
It's time + V2	Past Simple	Đã đến lúc
Would rather + S2 + V2	Past Simple	Muốn ai đó làm gì

1. I wish I _____ more time to finish the project.

A. have
B. had
C. will have
D. am having

2. If only she _____ here to help us.

A. is
B. was
C. were
D. has been

3. The teacher suggested that he _____ the assignment again.

A. does
B. did
C. do
D. doing

4. I wish I _____ that rude comment yesterday.

A. didn't make
B. hadn't made
C. don't make
D. won't make

5. It's high time you _____ a decision.

A. make
B. made
C. will make
D. making

6. I'd rather you _____ here during the meeting.

A. stay
B. stayed
C. staying
D. will stay

7. The committee insists that the proposal _____ revised.

A. is
B. be
C. was
D. being

8. If only it _____ raining! I want to go outside.

A. stops
B. stopped
C. would stop
D. will stop

9. She wishes she _____ harder for the VSTEP exam.

A. studies
B. studied
C. had studied
D. will study

10. The doctor recommended that he _____ smoking immediately.

A. stops
B. stopped
C. stop
D. stopping

11. I wish people _____ more considerate of others.

A. are
B. were
C. have been
D. will be

12. It's time we _____ about the future.

A. think
B. thought
C. will think
D. thinking

13. I'd rather she _____ the truth from the beginning.

A. tells
B. told
C. had told
D. will tell

14. The manager demanded that all employees _____ on time.

A. arrives
B. arrived
C. arrive
D. arriving

15. If only I _____ you earlier about the change.

A. inform
B. informed
C. had informed
D. will inform

16. She wishes her boss _____ so strict.

A. isn't
B. wasn't
C. weren't
D. won't be

17. It is essential that every student _____ the safety rules.

A. follows
B. followed
C. follow
D. following

18. I wish you _____ interrupting me when I'm speaking.

A. stop
B. stopped
C. would stop
D. will stop

19. The law requires that every driver _____ a seatbelt.

A. wears
B. wore
C. wear
D. wearing

20. If only we _____ a bigger house.

A. have
B. had
C. will have
D. are having

21. I'd rather you _____ that again.

A. don't do
B. didn't do
C. won't do
D. not doing

22. She suggested that we _____ the meeting to next week.

A. postpone
B. postponed
C. postpones
D. postponing

23. It's about time the government _____ action on climate change.

A. takes
B. took
C. will take
D. taking

24. I wish I _____ speak three languages fluently.

A. can
B. could
C. will
D. may

25. He insisted that she _____ present at the ceremony.

A. is
B. was
C. be
D. being

ĐÁP ÁN

Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA
1	B	6	B	11	B	16	C	21	B
2	C	7	B	12	B	17	C	22	A
3	C	8	C	13	C	18	C	23	B
4	B	9	C	14	C	19	C	24	B
5	B	10	C	15	C	20	B	25	C

Phân từ nâng cao — Participial Clauses

1. Phân từ hiện tại (V-ing) — Rút gọn mệnh đề chủ động

The man who is standing there → The man standing there
Because she felt tired, she went home → Feeling tired, she went home

2. Phân từ quá khứ (V-ed/V3) — Rút gọn mệnh đề bị động

The book which was written by her → The book written by her
Because he was injured in the accident → Injured in the accident, he couldn't walk

3. Phân từ hoàn thành (Having + V3) — Hành động xảy ra trước

After she had finished the report → Having finished the report, she left.
After he had been promoted → Having been promoted, he felt more confident.

4. Phân từ phủ định

Not knowing what to say, he remained silent.
Not having been invited, she didn't attend the party.

5. With + O + Phân từ (Absolute construction)

With the exam approaching, students are studying harder.
With all the doors locked, they felt safe.
With his homework done, he went out to play.

Lỗi thường gặp: Dangling participle

SAI: Walking to school, the rain started. (Mưa đi bộ?)
ĐÚNG: Walking to school, I got caught in the rain.

Quy tắc: Chủ ngữ của phân từ phải trùng với chủ ngữ của mệnh đề chính.

Bảng tổng hợp

Dạng	Cấu trúc	Khi nào dùng
V-ing	Doing, Seeing, Walking	Chủ động, đồng thời
V-ed/V3	Done, Written, Injured	Bị động
Having + V3	Having done, Having seen	Xảy ra trước (chủ động)
Having been + V3	Having been told	Xảy ra trước (bị động)
Not + V-ing	Not knowing	Phân từ phủ định
With + O + V-ing/V3	With the door open	Cấu trúc tuyệt đối

1. _____ the good news, she jumped for joy.

A. Hear
B. Hearing
C. Heard
D. Having hear

2. The letter _____ yesterday contained important information.

A. receiving
B. received
C. having received
D. receive

3. _____ all the preparations, they felt confident about the event.

A. Complete
B. Completing
C. Having completed
D. Completed

4. _____ in 1990, the building is now a historical landmark.

A. Building
B. Built
C. Having built
D. Being building

5. With the deadline _____, everyone worked overtime.

A. approach
B. approached
C. approaching
D. having approached

6. _____ what to do, she called her advisor.

A. Not know
B. Not knowing
C. Not known
D. Not knew

7. The students _____ in the lab must wear safety goggles.

A. work
B. working
C. worked
D. having worked

8. _____ promoted twice, he became the youngest director.

A. Being
B. Having been
C. Have been
D. Was

9. _____ carefully, the instructions are quite easy to follow.

A. Reading
B. Read
C. Having read
D. Reads

10. With all the lights _____, the room looked mysterious.

A. turning off
B. turned off
C. turn off
D. to turn off

11. The woman _____ next to me is my colleague.

A. sit
B. sat
C. sitting
D. having sat

12. _____ by the loud noise, the baby started crying.

A. Frightening
B. Frightened
C. Having frightening
D. Being frighten

13. _____ his homework, he went out to play.

A. Finish
B. Finishing
C. Having finished
D. Finished

14. The report _____ by the consultant was very thorough.

A. preparing
B. prepared
C. having prepared
D. prepare

15. _____ to the party, she stayed home.

A. Not inviting
B. Not being invited
C. Not having invited
D. Not invite

16. The movie, _____ in several countries, became a global hit.

A. film
B. filming
C. filmed
D. having film

17. With the sun _____, the temperature quickly rose.

A. rise
B. rising
C. risen
D. rose

18. _____ her keys at home, she couldn't enter the office.

A. Leave
B. Leaving
C. Having left
D. Left

19. The children _____ in the garden are my nieces.

A. play
B. played
C. playing
D. having played

20. _____ for his courage, the soldier received a medal.

A. Knowing
B. Known
C. Having knowing
D. Know

21. _____ tired after the long journey, they went straight to bed.

A. Feel
B. Felt
C. Feeling
D. Having feel

22. The goods _____ to the wrong address were returned.

A. delivering
B. delivered
C. deliver
D. having delivered

23. _____ never been abroad, she was excited about the trip.

A. Have
B. Having
C. Had
D. Has

24. With the project _____, the team celebrated.

A. complete
B. completing
C. completed
D. having complete

25. _____ from a wealthy family, she understood the value of hard work.

A. Not coming
B. Not come
C. Not came
D. Not having come

ĐÁP ÁN

Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA	Câu	ĐA
1	B	6	B	11	C	16	C	21	C
2	B	7	B	12	B	17	B	22	B
3	C	8	B	13	C	18	C	23	B
4	B	9	B	14	B	19	C	24	C
5	C	10	B	15	B	20	B	25	A

Cấu trúc nhấn mạnh — Emphasis Structures

1. Emphatic do/does/did

I do believe that education is important.
She does work very hard every day.
They did try their best, but it wasn't enough.

2. So + adj/adv + that

The exam was so difficult that many students failed.
He spoke so quickly that nobody understood him.

3. Such + (a/an) + N + that

It was such a beautiful day that we went to the beach.
She made such progress that everyone was impressed.

4. It is ... that (Câu chẻ nhấn mạnh)

It is hard work that leads to success, not luck.
It was in 1969 that humans first landed on the moon.

5. What ... is/was (Câu chẻ What)

What matters most is your attitude.
What we need is more funding for research.

6. The very / The only / The first

This is the very book I was looking for. (chính là cuốn sách)
She was the only person who helped me.
He was the first student to finish the exam.

7. Đảo ngữ nhấn mạnh

Never have I seen such beauty.
Not only did she pass, but she excelled.
So beautiful was the sunset that we stopped to take photos.

8. Indeed / certainly / definitely / absolutely

This is indeed a challenging problem.
She is certainly the most qualified candidate.
The results were absolutely remarkable.

Bảng so sánh: So vs Such

Cấu trúc	Theo sau	Ví dụ
So + adj/adv + that	Tính từ/Trạng từ	So beautiful that...
Such + (a/an) + N + that	Danh từ (có adj)	Such a beautiful day that...
So + many/much/few/little + N	Lượng từ + N	So many people that...

Mẹo VSTEP Writing: Dùng emphatic "do/does/did" trong conclusion để nhấn mạnh quan điểm. Ví dụ: "I do believe that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."

Phủ định kép (double negative) trong tiếng Anh chuẩn tạo nghĩa khẳng định nhẹ, mang sắc thái tinh tế hơn khẳng định trực tiếp.

1. Not + un-/in-/im- (Phủ định kép = Khẳng định nhẹ)

Her work is not unimpressive. = Khá ấn tượng (nhẹ hơn "impressive")
It is not uncommon for students to fail. = Khá phổ biến
The idea is not impossible. = Có thể thực hiện được

2. Not without + N

The project was completed not without difficulty. = Có khá nhiều khó khăn
She accepted the offer not without hesitation. = Có chút do dự

3. No less than / Nothing less than

The donation was no less than $1 million. = Ít nhất 1 triệu (nhấn mạnh lớn)
His performance was nothing less than brilliant. = Thật sự xuất sắc

4. Nothing if not

She is nothing if not persistent. = Cô ấy cực kỳ kiên trì
The plan is nothing if not ambitious. = Kế hoạch cực kỳ tham vọng

5. By no means / In no way / Under no circumstances

This is by no means the end. = Đây hoàn toàn không phải kết thúc
She is in no way responsible. = Cô ấy hoàn toàn không chịu trách nhiệm
Under no circumstances should you cheat. = Dù thế nào cũng không được gian lận

6. Neither ... nor

Neither the teacher nor the students were prepared.
The product is neither cheap nor of high quality.

7. Can't help + V-ing (Không thể không)

I can't help feeling nervous. = Tôi không thể không lo lắng
She couldn't help laughing. = Cô ấy không nhịn được cười

Bảng tổng hợp sắc thái

Cấu trúc	Nghĩa	Sắc thái
not unimpressive	khá ấn tượng	Khẳng định nhẹ, thận trọng
not without difficulty	có nhiều khó khăn	Thừa nhận gián tiếp
nothing if not	cực kỳ, rất	Nhấn mạnh mạnh
by no means	hoàn toàn không	Phủ định mạnh
no less than	ít nhất, không dưới	Nhấn mạnh số lượng lớn

Mẹo VSTEP: Sử dụng "not un-" và "not without" trong Writing để thể hiện văn phong academic, thận trọng — đặc biệt phù hợp với Task 2 essay.