Discussion
In the sentence below, a part is printed in bold. Choose the alternative that best replaces it. If no improvement is needed, choose ‘No correction required’.
No sooner did he arrive when the ceremony began.
Answer: B
Correct answer: than
No sooner is followed by than, never by when. It is hardly and scarcely that take when, and confusing the two pairs is the commonest error in this construction. The reason lies in the words themselves: sooner is a comparative, and comparatives are completed by than. Hardly and scarcely are not comparatives, so they take the temporal when instead. The sentence would also more usually take the past perfect in the first clause: No sooner had he arrived than the ceremony began - the earlier action in the past perfect, the later in the simple past. The form with did is heard but is less idiomatic. Inversion is required either way, since no sooner is a fronted restrictive adverb: no sooner had he, not no sooner he had.
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