No Sooner …Than / Hardly/Scarcely … When / As Soon As | Kerala SSLC English Grammar

Read the following sentences and complete them suitably.

No sooner…than

This expression is used to say that the second event mentioned in the sentence happens immediately after the first.

Note that we use an inverted word order after no sooner. That means the auxiliary verb comes before the subject. You can use a past perfect or simple past after no sooner.

No sooner had she received the parcel than she opened it. (NOT No sooner she had received…)

No sooner did she receive the parcel than she opened it. (NOT No sooner she received the parcel…)

More examples are given below.

1. No sooner had I reached the station than the train left. (Use the past participle (v3) of the verb after had.)

No sooner did I reach the station than the train left. (Use the first form of the verb (v1) after did.)

2. No sooner had we heard the sound than we rushed to the spot.

No sooner did we hear the sound than we rushed to the spot.

No sooner had she finished the project than she started a new one.

No sooner did she finish the project than she started a new one.

No sooner had I received her call than I left the house.

No sooner did I receive her call than I left the house.

It is possible to express the same idea using hardly/scarcely…when.

Rewrite the sentences given above using hardly/scarcely…when. Instead of when, we can use before. One is done for you.

Hardly had I reached the station when the train left.

Scarcely had we heard the sound when we rushed to the spot.

Hardly had she finished the project when she started a new one.

Hardly had I received her call when I left the house.

Now, read the following sentence and see how it differs from the previous one. You may rewrite the other sentences too.

1. As soon as I reached the station, the train left.

2. As soon as we heard the sound, we rushed to the spot.

3. As soon as she finished the project, she started a new one.

4. As soon as I received her call, I left the house.