Inversion in the English legal text

The relevance of this study is due to the need of looking into the use of inversion in the English legal texts.  The aim of the given research is to find out the peculiarities of inversion in English legal texts of scientific and educational sub-style as well as administrative sub-style. The study is centered on cases of inversion of subject as they are the most common types of inversion in English legal texts.  The present article analyzes 200 cases of inversion 140 of which are grammatical constructions with introducing ‘there’. The sources of research include texts belonging to scientific and educational sub-style (monographs, text-books on different areas of law) as well as to administrative sub-style (contract). The article identifies types of inversion characteristic of each sub-style and presents ways of placing words in sentences with inverted word-order. In the intensification function typical are cases of inversion with intensifying and limiting words only or not only. In the connecting function inversion is used with neither/nor construction. The most common examples of constructions with inverted word order are sentences with introducing there. Asyndetic conditional sentences with inversion are typical of the administrative sub-style. As a result of the research, it is proved that inversion in an English legal text serves for the accentuation of words carrying the message of the sentence, intensification and the establishment of connection between sentences. When translating inverted sentences, it is recommended to use additions and rearrangement of words.