[Grammar] Rarely (inversion)

[sitifan]

at 8:19 o'clock (usingenglish.com)
1. Rarely I have heard someone ask "What o'clock is it?" (in post #4 of the above thread)
2. Rarely have I heard someone ask "What o'clock is it?" (my own sentence)

Is #2 also grammatical?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

at 8:19 o'clock (usingenglish.com)
1. Rarely I have heard someone ask "What o'clock is it?" (in post #4 of the above thread)

Bad.

2. Rarely have I heard someone ask "What o'clock is it?" (my own sentence)

Good.

Is #2 also grammatical?

I would use #2. I would not use #1.

 

[teechar]

That's a legitimate and good question to ask.
"Rarely" and a couple of other such adverbs of frequency can go at the start of a sentence when used in polemic statements.
https://www.thoughtco.com/adverbs-of-frequency-sentence-placement-4053163

Otherwise, they can be used in the middle.
https://www.englishgrammar.org/position-frequency-adverbs/

Thus, I agree with Charlie's answer above.

 

[jutfrank]

Number #2 is the correct grammatical form. Don't use #1.

This kind of inversion is a staple amongst C1 grammar course items. You might want to familiarise yourself with more examples.

• No sooner had we entered the room than they started clapping.
• Barely had Jane started cooking when the doorbell started ringing.
• Hardly had Alice seen her mother when she started crying.
• Scarcely had Peter started the journey when it started raining.

Examples taken from here.

 

[Tdol]

And take note of the use of than in the first of Jutfank's examples.