Is the following sentence correct?
Within the class NP dwells the elite
group of problems labeled NP-complete.
What rule allows to flip "group" and "dwells" in this case? I thought one should write something like
The elite group of problems labeled NP-complete dwells within the class NP.
Best Answer
Yes, the first sentence is as correct as the second. In fact, although such inversions are sometimes awkward, I can't think of a case in which a comparable inversion would be incorrect. In this case, I'd prefer the first version, because it moves the verb forward, and shifts a very long noun phrase to the end.
It's not at all uncommon; here's a line from a translation of Pippi Longstocking (quoted here) that does it: