3. Rarely does Paco ask for help
Reading activity
Paco has spent the whole day in the hotel and has ordered dinner. He is watching a film on TV and he likes it. Seldom does he watch TV in the evening in Spain. However, after a tiring flight he has decided to stay and relax before visiting the city.
One hour later, the film and the dinner are over and Paco is lying on his bed thinking of some of the issues dealt with in The Man Who Sued God. Steve could not believe what was happening to him and asked for help. He found a journalist who helped him in his cause. Not only did they fight together against injustice, but they also became really good friends. Paco thinks he has lots of friends already, and helps them quite frequently, but he hardly ever asks for help. That is the reason why he decided to travel on his own. He did not want to depend on anyone to visit places or eat at a specific time. He is not a selfish person, but he is quite independent. Seldom has he travelled with someone else, but his family. Once on holiday, he frequently left them in the hotel and started to walk around by himself. He thinks neither his friends nor his relatives share the same interests, except sports. He has always been self-sufficient, and he likes that. Yes, it's true, rarely does Paco ask for help.
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Imagen de Aeofe city woman chile en Flickr bajo CC |
Underline the sentences in the passage which do not follow the common pattern Subject + Verb + Object but are not questions.
Important
As you can see, the sentences from the text follow the same pattern structure as questions:
AUXILIARY/MODAL VERB + SUBJECT + PRINCIPAL VERB + (OBJECT) + (COMPLEMENTS)
However, the four of them are preceded by negative adverbs: Seldom, Not only..., and Rarely. As you will study later in the unit, to place a NEGATIVE adverb at the beginning of a sentence is common in English whenever we want to give emphasis to the meaning of that negative adverb. It is used mostly in formal contexts.
Further knowledge
It would be a good idea to start having a closer look at the structure of these sentences. If you feel like doing so, click here. Further information on the subject is provided here.
Self-Assessment activity
a. He rarely visited his family in Madrid.
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Rarely he visit his family in Madrid.
b. He has gone not only to the market but also to the cinema.
Not only he gone to the market but also to the cinema.
c. They must never do that again.
Never they do that again.
d. Paco seldom studies in the morning.
Seldom Paco study in the morning.
Curiosity
SOS stands for...
Have you ever wondered what SOS stands for? If you want a clear answer, it stands for... NOTHING. The popular interpretations that these letters stand for "Save Our Souls", "Save Our Ship", or "Send Out Succour" are not true.
The Marconi Yearbook of Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony , 1918 states, "This signal [SOS] was adopted simply on account of its easy radiation and its unmistakable character. There is no special signification in the letter themselves, and it is entirely incorrect to put full stops between them [the letters]."
In wireless telegraphy it was thought that the use of three dots, three dashes and three dots of Morse (code) could not be misinterpreted, and that is why SOS is used.
•••———•••
The corresponding verbal word to mean you need help is MAYDAY, whose story is really interesting... click here to read about it!