B2 Sentence Structure 10 min read Medium

Pointing Out Arrivals: Locative Inversion (Here comes...)

Spice up your English by dramatically announcing arrivals and departures with Here comes... or There goes...!
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'Here' or 'There' to spotlight something arriving or leaving by swapping the verb and the noun subject.

  • Swap verb and noun: 'Here comes the bus' (not 'The bus comes here').
  • Keep pronouns first: 'Here it comes' (never 'Here comes it').
  • Use Simple Present for immediate actions: 'There goes the train!'
👉 Here/There + Verb (comes/goes) + 🚌 Noun Subject

Overview

Use 'Here comes' to show someone is arriving right now.

It makes your speaking exciting. It helps people listen well.

How This Grammar Works

This changes the word order. It helps people look and focus.
The most important words go at the end. This is powerful.
Say 'Here comes the boss!' to be special. It builds surprise.
Use 'here' to point. You and your friend look together.
Use simple words like 'come'. They show one thing moving.

Word Order Rules

There are two ways to use this. You must choose correctly.
Rule 1: For Noun Subjects
First say 'Here', then the action, then the name.
  • Here comes the train.
  • There goes our last opportunity.
  • Here are the documents you requested.
Rule 2: For Pronoun Subjects
First say 'Here', then 'he' or 'she', then the action.
  • Here he comes.
  • There it goes.
  • Here we are.
Short words like 'he' or 'she' sound bad at the end.
Big names sound very good at the end of the sentence.
Look at these examples for the right way to speak.
| :----------- | :-------------- | :------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------ | :-------------------------- |
For names, say: Here comes the bus.
For words like 'she', say: Here she comes.

Formation Pattern

1
Follow these rules. Use them for things happening now.
2
Use 'comes' or 'goes' to show things moving.
3
This is used for things in motion.
4
Use 'Here' when something moves toward you.
5
Here comes the bride, all dressed in white.
6
Oh good, here comes the waiter with our drinks.
7
Use 'There' when something moves away.
8
Look, there goes a bald eagle!
9
I didn't study enough. Well, there goes my chance of passing the exam.
10
Use 'is' or 'are' to show something to someone.
11
This is used to present something stationary or to identify a discovered item.
12
Use 'Here is' when you give a thing to someone.
13
Here is the report you asked for.
14
Ah, here are my keys! I was looking for them everywhere.
15
There + is/are: Used to point out the existence or location of something, often with a sense of discovery or observation.
16
There is the Eiffel Tower in the distance!
17
I thought we had a simple problem, but there is a complication.
18
Check if you have one thing or many things.
19
For one thing, say: Here comes the bus.
20
For many things, say: Here come the buses.

When To Use It

Use this only when you want to be exciting.
  • To Announce an Imminent Event: This is its most common function. It signals that something is happening right now, creating a shared, real-time experience.
  • Quick, get inside! Here comes the rain.
  • Shh, here comes the best part of the movie.
  • To Present an Item or Idea: The Here is/are pattern is the standard way to hand something to someone or introduce a piece of information.
  • Here is your change.
  • The problem is complex. Here is the solution.
  • To Add Dramatic Emphasis: The inversion creates a natural climax, making it perfect for expressing surprise, excitement, resignation, or warning.
  • (Watching a race) And here comes Lewis Hamilton on the final turn! (Excitement)
  • I just broke my phone. There goes five hundred dollars. (Resignation)
  • In Narrative and Storytelling: Writers use this to make a scene more vivid and immerse the reader in the action, making them feel like a direct observer.
  • As the hero slept, through the window crept a shadowy figure. (More literary, but the same principle)

Common Mistakes

Do not make these mistakes. This helps you speak well.
  1. 1Inverting Pronoun Subjects: This is the most frequent and jarring error. Remember that pronouns do not invert with the verb.
  • Mistake: Look, there goes he on his new bike!
  • Correction: Look, there he goes on his new bike!
  1. 1Incorrect Subject-Verb Agreement: The verb must agree with the post-posed noun subject. Speakers sometimes default to the singular comes or is.
  • Mistake: Here comes the final results.
  • Correction: Here come the final results.
  1. 1Using with Transitive Verbs: This inversion only works with intransitive verbs (verbs without a direct object). The slot after the verb is reserved for the subject.
  • Mistake: Here brings the mailman the package.
  • Correction: Here comes the mailman with the package.
  1. 1Overuse in Formal Academic or Business Writing: The here comes/there goes pattern is largely informal and conversational. Using it in a formal report can make the tone seem too casual or simplistic.
  • Mistake: (In a financial analysis) There goes the profit margin for this quarter.
  • Correction: The profit margin for this quarter has decreased.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

English words can change places. This way is for places. It is special.
  • Formal Locative Inversion: This is also triggered by a locative phrase, but it's usually a full prepositional phrase, not just here or there. It's more common in formal or literary writing and often describes a static scene.
  • On top of the hill stood a lonely castle.
  • Contrast: Here comes the bus! (Informal, dynamic) vs. At the bus stop stood an old man. (More formal, static).
  • Negative Inversion: This is triggered by a fronted negative adverb (e.g., Never, Hardly, No sooner). It requires an auxiliary verb and is used for strong emphasis in more formal contexts.
  • Never before have I seen such a beautiful sunset.
  • Contrast: The structure is completely different. There goes my hope (Adv-V-S) vs. Never have I hoped (Neg.Adv-Aux-S-V).
  • Existential There: This is the common There is/are... structure used to introduce the existence of something. While it looks similar, the word there serves a different function. In There is a book on the table, there is a meaningless "dummy" subject. In There goes the book!, there is a locative adverb with a specific meaning of place and receives stress.
  • There is a problem. (Unstressed, dummy subject)
  • There goes the solution. (Stressed, locative adverb)

Real Conversations

This structure is everywhere in modern, everyday English. Its immediacy makes it perfect for dynamic communication.

- At a Cafe (Anticipation):

- Person A: I'm so tired. I really need that coffee.

- Person B: Look, here comes the barista with our order now.

- Watching a Movie (Pointing out a detail):

- Oh, wait. Here comes the plot twist I was telling you about.

- Social Media Post (Instagram Story):

- (Video of a cat knocking over a glass of water) Caption: ...and there goes my laptop.

- Texting (Making an observation):

- The meeting is starting. Here comes the CEO. Looks serious.

- Expressing Resignation:

- Friend 1: Did you manage to get tickets to the concert?

- Friend 2: No, they sold out in two minutes. There goes that plan.

Quick FAQ

Why are words like 'he' and 'names' different here?

It's because of sentence rhythm (prosody). Pronouns are weak, unstressed words. English avoids placing them in the high-stress position at the end of an inverted clause. Nouns, which carry more informational weight, fit naturally in that end-focus position.

Can I use this for ideas? Or only for real things?

Absolutely. It's very common to use it with abstract concepts, situations, or periods of time. For example: Here comes trouble. There goes our advantage. or Here comes the weekend!

Q: What's the real difference between Here is my card and Here comes my card?

Here is my card is for static presentation—you are handing the card over. It is now present. Here comes my card would imply the card is in motion, perhaps being passed down a table or even flying through the air. You would almost always use Here is... in this context.

Q: Do I need a comma after here or there?

Generally, no. A comma is not used in the standard Here comes the bus structure. You might see a comma if it follows an interjection or a longer introductory phrase (e.g., Well, there goes our flight. or And now, here comes the main event.), but the core pattern itself does not include one.

Word Order: Nouns vs. Pronouns

Subject Type Adverb Verb/Subject Order Example
Singular Noun
Here / There
Verb + Noun
Here comes the bus.
Plural Noun
Here / There
Verb + Nouns
Here come the buses.
Pronoun (it/he/she)
Here / There
Pronoun + Verb
Here it comes.
Pronoun (they)
Here / There
Pronoun + Verb
There they go.

Meanings

A specific type of inversion used to draw attention to a person or thing that is appearing or moving away in the speaker's immediate vicinity.

1

Physical Arrival

Announcing the physical appearance of someone or something.

“Here comes the pizza delivery guy!”

“There goes the last bus of the night.”

2

Narrative/Abstract Arrival

Introducing a new topic or a metaphorical event.

“And here comes the difficult part of the exam.”

“There goes our chance of winning the lottery.”

3

Theatrical Introduction

Used in storytelling or sports commentary to build excitement.

“Here comes the champion into the ring!”

“There goes the runner, heading for home base!”

Reference Table

Reference table for Pointing Out Arrivals: Locative Inversion (Here comes...)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative (Noun)
Here/There + Verb + Noun
Here comes the sun.
Affirmative (Pronoun)
Here/There + Pronoun + Verb
There she goes.
Plural Noun
Here/There + Verb (plural) + Nouns
Here come the kids.
Negative
Not used in this structure
N/A (Use standard SVO)
Question
Not used in this structure
N/A (Use standard SVO)
With 'Be' (Noun)
Here/There + is/are + Noun
There is the key.
With 'Be' (Pronoun)
Here/There + Pronoun + is/are
Here you are.

Formality Spectrum

Formal
The bus is now arriving at the station.

The bus is now arriving at the station. (Transportation)

Neutral
Here comes the bus.

Here comes the bus. (Transportation)

Informal
Here it comes!

Here it comes! (Transportation)

Slang
Yo, bus is here.

Yo, bus is here. (Transportation)

Noun vs. Pronoun Word Order

Noun Subject
Here comes the bus Verb before Noun
Pronoun Subject
Here it comes Pronoun before Verb

Should I Invert?

1

Is the subject a pronoun (it, she, they)?

YES
No Inversion: 'Here it comes'
NO
Invert: 'Here comes the bus'
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Examples by Level

1

Here is the bus.

2

There is my house.

3

Here is your coffee.

4

There is the teacher.

1

Here comes the train!

2

There goes the car.

3

Here it comes.

4

There she goes.

1

Here comes the rain again.

2

There goes our last chance.

3

Here come the results of the test.

4

Look! There they go!

1

Here comes the part I was telling you about.

2

There goes my reputation as a good cook.

3

Here come the consequences of your actions.

4

There goes the neighborhood!

1

And here comes the twist we've all been waiting for.

2

There goes any hope of a peaceful resolution.

3

Here come the critics, ready to tear the play apart.

4

There goes another billion dollars of taxpayer money.

1

Herein lies the problem, and here comes the struggle to fix it.

2

There goes the last vestige of Victorian morality.

3

And here comes the inevitable backlash from the public.

4

There goes the theory that humans are inherently rational.

Easily Confused

Pointing Out Arrivals: Locative Inversion (Here comes...) vs Existential 'There'

Learners think 'There is a bus' and 'There goes the bus' are the same.

Pointing Out Arrivals: Locative Inversion (Here comes...) vs Standard SVO

Learners don't know when to use 'The bus comes here' vs 'Here comes the bus'.

Pointing Out Arrivals: Locative Inversion (Here comes...) vs Question Inversion

Because the verb is before the subject, learners think it's a question.

Common Mistakes

✗

Here is coming the bus.

✓

Here comes the bus.

We use Simple Present, not Present Continuous, for this specific pointing structure.
✗

Here comes it.

✓

Here it comes.

Pronouns do not invert with the verb.
✗

There go the bus.

✓

There goes the bus.

The verb must still agree with the subject, even though the subject is at the end.
✗

Here comes the very long and complicated results that we expected.

✓

Here come the very long and complicated results that we expected.

With long subjects, learners often lose track of the plural/singular agreement.

Sentence Patterns

Here comes ___!

There goes ___.

Here ___ comes.

And here come ___.

Real World Usage

Waiting for an Uber/Taxi very common

Here comes our ride!

Watching a Race common

There goes the leader!

At a Restaurant common

Here comes our food.

Social Media Caption occasional

There goes my summer vacation... back to school!

Weather Reporting occasional

And here comes the snow.

Job Interview (Metaphorical) rare

And here comes the question I was dreading.

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💡

The Pronoun Test

If you can replace the noun with 'it' and the sentence still sounds okay with the verb at the end (Here it comes), you've got the right structure.
⚠️

No -ing!

Never use 'is coming' or 'is going' in this specific 'Here/There' structure. It must be 'comes' or 'goes'.
🎯

Dramatic Effect

Use this when you want to sound more excited. 'The bus is coming' is a fact; 'Here comes the bus!' is an event.
💬

There goes...

Use 'There goes...' sarcastically when something breaks or fails. 'There goes my new vase!' after it falls.

Smart Tips

Switch to 'Here comes the bus!' to sound more like a native speaker and show excitement.

The bus is coming. → Here comes the bus!

Remember the 'Pronoun Pivot': the pronoun must jump in front of the verb.

Here comes it. → Here it comes.

Use 'There goes...' to express frustration or a lost opportunity.

I lost my chance to win. → There goes my chance to win!

Check the plural! Make sure you drop the 's' from 'comes'.

Here comes my friends. → Here come my friends.

Pronunciation

here comes the BUS

Stress on the Noun

In 'Here comes the BUS', the main stress is on the noun at the end to emphasize what is arriving.

HERE it comes

Stress on the Adverb

In 'HERE it comes', the stress often shifts to 'Here' because the pronoun 'it' is weak.

Falling Intonation

Here comes the rain. ↘

A statement of observation.

Rising-Falling

There goes my hero! ↗↘

Excitement or dramatic flair.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Nouns move to the back, Pronouns stay in the middle.

Visual Association

Imagine a red carpet. 'Here' is the entrance. If a famous person (Noun) arrives, the paparazzi (Verb) jumps in front of them to take a photo. If it's just a regular person (Pronoun), the paparazzi stays behind.

Rhyme

When the bus is a noun, the verb comes down. When the bus is an 'it', the verb must sit (at the end).

Story

You are standing at a train station. You see the light. You shout 'Here comes the train!' Your friend asks 'Where is it?' You point and say 'Here it comes!' The train leaves and you sigh, 'There goes our ride.'

Word Web

HereThereComesGoesInversionArrivalDeparture

Challenge

Go to a window or a busy street. Every time you see a vehicle or person, say 'Here comes a...' or 'There goes a...' out loud. If you use a pronoun, say 'Here it comes!'

Cultural Notes

Commonly used when queuing for buses or trains. It's a polite way to alert others in the queue that the transport is arriving.

Commentators use this constantly to build hype during a play. It's part of the 'voice' of American baseball and football.

The phrase 'Here comes the bride' is the standard announcement for the start of a wedding ceremony in most English-speaking cultures.

This is a remnant of Old English word order, which was much more flexible and often placed verbs earlier in the sentence.

Conversation Starters

“

Look out the window. What's arriving or leaving right now?

“

Think about a time you lost something important. How did you feel?

“

If you were a sports commentator, how would you describe a player scoring a goal?

Journal Prompts

Write a short scene at a busy train station. Use 'Here comes...' and 'There goes...' at least five times.
Describe a series of unfortunate events using 'There goes...'. (e.g., There goes my coffee, there goes my bus...)
Reflect on how technology changes. Use 'There goes...' to describe things that are disappearing (e.g., physical newspapers, landline phones).

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

You see your friend Sarah arriving at the cafe.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
With a noun subject (Sarah), we invert the verb and the noun.
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'come' or 'go'.

Look! There ___ the last train! We missed it.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: c
We use 'goes' for something leaving, and it must be singular to match 'train'.
Correct the error in this sentence: 'Here comes it!' Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Here comes it!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Pronouns like 'it' do not invert with the verb.
Reorder the words to make a natural sentence. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Adverb (Here) + Verb (come) + Noun (the test results).
Match the situation to the correct sentence. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
'Here comes' is for arrival, 'There goes' is for departure, and pronouns don't invert.
Translate '¡Aquí vienen los problemas!' into English. Translation

¡Aquí vienen los problemas!

Answer starts with: a...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
'Problems' is plural, so we use 'come' without the 's'.
Which sentence is most likely used by a sports commentator? Multiple Choice

A player is running fast with the ball.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Locative inversion with a noun subject is standard for sports commentary.
Complete the sentence: 'I dropped my ice cream. There ___ my dessert!'

There ___ my dessert!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
'There goes...' is used to express the loss of something.

Score: /8

Practice Exercises

8 exercises
Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

You see your friend Sarah arriving at the cafe.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
With a noun subject (Sarah), we invert the verb and the noun.
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'come' or 'go'.

Look! There ___ the last train! We missed it.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: c
We use 'goes' for something leaving, and it must be singular to match 'train'.
Correct the error in this sentence: 'Here comes it!' Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Here comes it!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Pronouns like 'it' do not invert with the verb.
Reorder the words to make a natural sentence. Sentence Reorder

come / here / the / results / test / .

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Adverb (Here) + Verb (come) + Noun (the test results).
Match the situation to the correct sentence. Match Pairs

1. Seeing a bus arrive / 2. Seeing a bus leave / 3. Using a pronoun for arrival

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
'Here comes' is for arrival, 'There goes' is for departure, and pronouns don't invert.
Translate '¡Aquí vienen los problemas!' into English. Translation

¡Aquí vienen los problemas!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
'Problems' is plural, so we use 'come' without the 's'.
Which sentence is most likely used by a sports commentator? Multiple Choice

A player is running fast with the ball.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Locative inversion with a noun subject is standard for sports commentary.
Complete the sentence: 'I dropped my ice cream. There ___ my dessert!'

There ___ my dessert!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
'There goes...' is used to express the loss of something.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

14 exercises
Choose the correct form to complete the sentence. Fill in the Blank

A: Where are your parents? B: Oh, here ___ from the grocery store.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: they come
Find and fix the mistake in the sentence. Error Correction

Look! There goes it, the ball rolled away!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Look! There it goes, the ball rolled away!
Which sentence correctly uses locative inversion? Multiple Choice

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Here is your order!
Type the correct English sentence Translation

Translate into English: 'Aquí viene la primavera!'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ["Here comes spring!","Here comes the spring!"]
Put the words in order to form a correct sentence. Sentence Reorder

Arrange these words into a sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Oh, here comes the drama!
Match each beginning with its correct inverted ending. Match Pairs

Match the phrases to form correct sentences:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: matched
Complete the sentence with the correct verb form. Fill in the Blank

After a long journey, here ___ the weary travelers.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: come
Identify and correct the grammatical error. Error Correction

Be careful! There goes the dog him!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Be careful! There he goes, the dog!
Select the sentence that correctly uses locative inversion. Multiple Choice

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: There goes my favorite song!
Translate the phrase into natural English. Translation

Translate: '¡Allí va mi oportunidad!'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ["There goes my chance!","There goes my opportunity!"]
Unscramble the words to form a coherent sentence. Sentence Reorder

Create a sentence using these words:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Finally, here comes the bus!
Pair the initial phrase with its correct inverted completion. Match Pairs

Complete the sentences:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: matched
Choose the best verb for the inverted sentence. Fill in the Blank

Heads up! Here ___ the notification for our meeting.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: comes
Correct the incorrect sentence. Error Correction

My friends are here, here are them!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: My friends are here, here they are!

Score: /14

FAQ (8)

Yes, but it's more literary. You can use verbs of position like `sit`, `stand`, or `lie`. For example: `There stood the giant.`

In English, unstressed pronouns like `it`, `he`, or `she` want to stay close to the start of the sentence. Inverting them sounds very unnatural to native speakers.

No, it's actually quite informal and conversational. In a formal report, you would say `The bus arrived` rather than `Here comes the bus`.

`Here is` focuses on the location (it's here now). `Here comes` focuses on the movement and arrival (it's approaching).

Yes, but usually only in storytelling. `Then, here came the rain.` However, in daily life, we almost always use the present.

No, do not use a comma. It is one continuous phrase: `Here comes the bus.`

Yes, metaphorically. `Here comes the weekend!` or `There goes my patience.`

Use `come` (no 's') for plural: `Here come the children.` Use `comes` for singular: `Here comes the child.`

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Aquí viene el autobús / Ahí va eso.

English forbids 'Here comes it', but Spanish allows 'Aquí viene él'.

French moderate

Voici le bus / Le voilà.

French uses a dedicated word (Voici) rather than a standard verb (comes).

German high

Da kommt der Bus / Hier ist er.

German inverts pronouns too ('Da kommt er'), while English does not.

Japanese low

ほら、バスが来た (Hora, basu ga kita)

Japanese uses past tense for immediate arrivals; English uses present.

Arabic partial

ها هو الحافلة قادمة (Ha huwa al-hafila qadima)

Arabic uses a demonstrative particle 'Ha' rather than a verb-first structure.

Chinese none

车来了 (Chē lái le)

Chinese word order remains Subject-Verb, unlike the English flip.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
English Inversion: Sound Fancy with Adverbs (Adverb of Degree Inversion)

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