The Omen: Inversion after Negation Adverbials

This movie is a remake of the classic The Omen, one of my favorite thrillers of all times. It isn't as good as the original one, but it is a decent version. I used the maternity scene to have students practice inversion after negative adverbials, which is usually a barren, not motivating grammar point. The scene is controversial, the grammar point can be contextualized and a lot of discussion can be generated from the viewing.

A. Watch the movie segment and rewrite the sentences using the given adverbials.

1. Mr. Robert Thorn knew his son had died at birth after he arrived at the hospital.

(Only after) ........................................................

2. He had never thought his baby would die.

(Never) .............................................................

3. Priests don't usually offer orphans as surrogate children.

(Rarely) ...........................................................

4. Mr. Thorn accepted the offer and didn't tell his wife what had happened.

(Not only ... but also)

5. Mr. Thorn didn't share the secret with his wife.

(On no occasion) ............................................

6. This sort of adoption seldom happens in real life.

(Seldom) ........................................................

7. Mr. Thorn didn't know much about the baby's mother.

(Little) ..........................................................

8. Mr. Thorn hadn't decided to keep the child until he saw the baby.

(Not until ) ..................................................

9. Mrs. Thorn will never be able to bear another child.

(Never) ......................................................

B. Discuss the following questions.

1. Did Mr. Thorn act correctly? To what extent? Explain it.

2. How would you react under the same circumstances?

3. What could go wrong in such a situation?

4. Should adoptions be easier so that situations like the one in the segment do not happen often?

5. Is there anyone wrong in this case? The priest, Mr. Thorn, both, or no one?

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Answer Key:


A.

1. Only after he arrived at the hospital did Mr. Thorn know...

2. Never had he thought ...

3. Rarely do priests offer ...

4. Not only did Mr. Thorn accept the offer but he also didn't tell ...

5. On no occasion did Mr. Thorn share ...

6. Seldom does this sort of adoption happen ...

7. Little did he know about ...
8. Not until he saw the child did he decide to ...

9. Never will Mrs. Thorn be ...