Summary Study Notes Unit 05: Global Mobility | Engels II | Hogeschool Gent | 2026/27

Engels


Unit 05: global mobility


5.1 SECONDMENTS ABROAD

Vocabulary

5.2 RELOCATION AND RETENTION


GRAMMAR: INVERSION
Definition – What is inversion?

 I have never seen her so excited for a new job. (non-inverted)
 Have you ever seen her so excited for a new job? (inverted)
 Never have I seen her so excited for a new job. (inverted)

Non-inverted sentence: subject + finite verb
Inverted sentence: finite verb + subject

'Inversion' means reversing (‘inverting’) the normal subject–verb word order in a
sentence.

Use – When do you use inversion?

We use inversion

1. in questions;
2. after negative or limiting adverbs

Effect of inversion:

Using inversion instead of the normal word order adds emphasis, especially in formal
English. It is common, for example, in political speeches, because it has a persuasive and
impressive effect.

Non-inverted sentence Inverted sentence
I have never seen her so excited for a new Never have I seen her so excited for a new
job. job.
My secondment not only enhanced my Not only did my secondment enhance my
skills, but it also expanded my network. skills, but it also expanded my network.
Companies rarely retain talented staff Rarely do companies retain talented staff
without strong incentives. without strong incentives.



Winston Churchill expressing gratitude and respect from the British people (‘the many’)
to the small number of RAF pilots (‘the few’) who defended Britain against German
attacks despite being vastly outnumbered.

Formation – How do you invert a sentence?

Inversion in questions: you already know how to form questions.




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Inversion after a negative or limiting adverb:
To invert a sentence in this way, we put the adverbial (e.g. never, rarely, not only, etc.) at
the beginning and change the normal position of the subject and the auxiliary verb.
 Inverted sentence: Adverbial + auxiliary + subject + rest of sentence.

After negative or limiting adverbs:

 Inverted sentence: Adverbial + auxiliary + subject + rest of sentence

Three possible scenarios:

1. Original sentence has an auxiliary.  use it
2. Original sentence has several auxiliaries  use 1st one
3. Original sentence doesn’t have an auxiliary  add one.

What are auxiliary verbs?

 I am going on secondment next year.
 I was on secondment this time last year.  be
 I have never seen her so excited for a new job.
 I had never seen her so excited for a new job.  have
 I do not want to finish the project.
 I did not want to finish the project.  do

These are all ‘normal’ auxiliary verbs.

 I can go with you.
 I could go with you.
 I will go with you.
 I would go with you.
 I must go with you.
 I should go with you.
 I might go with you.
 I may go with you.

These are all modal auxiliary verbs.

Identifying the correct auxiliary: three possible scenarios

1. Original sentence has an auxiliary.  use it
Secondment is rarely a simple process.
 Rarely is secondment a simple process.


2. Original sentence has several auxiliaries  use 1st one
Secondment policies should not be ignored under any circumstances.
 Under no circumstances should secondment policies be ignored.




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3. Original sentence doesn’t have an auxiliary  add one.
If we need to add an auxiliary, we always use a form of ‘do’.
 Adv. + aux. + su. + infinitive + rest of the sentence
 Secondees seldom relocate without challenges.
 Seldom do secondees relocate without challenges.
 My secondment not only enhanced my skills, but it also expanded my network.
 Not only did my secondment enhance my skills, but it also expanded my
network.

Important note: there are two types of negative or limiting adverbs
Most adverbs trigger immediate inversion:
Never have secondments been so popular.
Not only did he settle in, but he also thrived.
Never, rarely, seldom, little
Not only… but also, No sooner… than, Not once… , Under no circumstances …, On no
account…, At no time…, In no way…

A few adverbs trigger inversion only in the main clause:
Not until we secure additional funding can we proceed with the
expansion of our global secondment programme.
Only
Not until…

5.3 GIVING FEEDBACK ON PERFORMANCE

Zie boek

5.5 BLOG POST DESCRIBING RELOCATION


THEORY: WRITING A BLOG POST DESCRIBING RELOCATION
Blog post: introduction: purpose

Purpose of a writing a company blog post:

 Inform
 Convince
 Activate

Blog post: organisation & structure

Hello from Kenya – finally!

As you know, thanks to the new global secondment scheme, I arrived with my family at Nairobi airport last month. I had
been dreaming of working in Africa for years and now here I am!

The local manager met us there and subsequently took us to a hotel. We had been expecting to settle into our new home
straightaway but it wasn't ready so we spent the first month in the hotel. We finally moved into our house yesterday and are
busy sorting it out. Before we came, my children had been particularly excited about going on safari and last weekend we
camped in a game reserve and it was truly amazing.

Although living in a hotel for a month was not ideal, the work is both rewarding and challenging and is giving me a broader
global perspective. Consequently, I know where our tea comes from, who picks it, where it is prepared and who ships it. So
far, life in Kenya is living up to our expectations.

I am sure that this experience will be beneficial to my career and I highly recommend it to everyone.



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