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I know that I can use "had" to construct a conditional perfect:
Had it not rained yesterday, we would have finished painting the walls.
But is it grammatically correct to reverse the order of the clauses, like this?
We would have finished painting the walls, had it not rained yesterday.
It is grammatically correct. Here are a few cases of this inversion, as found in the literature. As corrected by user Edwin Ashworth it is not often found nowadays. However, for the particular instance "had it not been for" it is still common enough.
The Parliamentary Debates from the Year 1803 to the Present Time Great Britain. Parliament - 1820 -- Mr. Baring said, he should not have spoken had it not been for what had occurred within the last half hour.
The Parliamentary Debates from the Year 1803 to the Present Time 1821 - […] he would not on that night have been in that House freely expressing his sentiments in debate, had it not been for the labours of some of the secret committees that […]
The Parliamentary Debates - Volume 13 - Page 975 - 1826 - Great Britain. Parliament - 1826 - Well, then, he must have died, had it not been for the kindness of Mr. Brown, and the humanity of one of his fellow-prisoners.
The Parliamentary Debates (Authorized Edition) - 1832 - Great Britain. Parliament - 1832 -Member in the House, had it not been cheered by a solitary Member on the other side.
The history of the French revolution, tr. with notes by F. ... - Page 323 - 1838 - Marie Joseph L. Adolphe Thiers - 1838 - What would the patriots have said, had it not supported the Vaudois, punished the papal government, overthrown the King of Naples, and forced the sovereign of Piedmont to abdicate ?
Only 7 permits issued for cannabis retailers in Sask. - Published Wednesday, October 17, 2018 12:35PM CST - “It would have been better for our province had it not happened,” Justice Minister Don Morgan said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Snooker referee Olivier Marteel on virus frontline in Belgiu .. - 2020 - at the Crucible in Sheffield to officiate in this year's tournament had it not been postponed but instead he is working as a nurse in Veurne
Cambridge dictionary - 2007 - Her talent might have lain dormant had it not been for her aunt's encouragement.
[source couldn't be recovered] - 2010) - Tunisian man who was seriously injured in a fight more than five years ago would have died had it not been for an immediate intervention […]
The Telegraph - 2019 - Why Greek historians may have lost their marbles had it not been for Lord Elgin.
Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort - 2019 - i would've rated this property a 5 had it not been for my poolside experiences
3 Economic Policies That Made the COVID-19 Pandemic Worse Than It Had to Be - 2020 - In fact, I think this crisis was largely preventable had it not been for this ignorance.
The Healing of Jordan Young: A 21st-Century Spiritual Guide to Health and ... - 2015 - Had it not been for the fact that the lymphoma had infiltrated Jordan's lungs, Xalkory would have been out of the question due to legal limitations.
Malcom Turbull thought Petyer Dutton was "deluded" - 2020 - Turnbull also claimed he believed he had the numbers to keep his position had it not been for Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, who he said […]
