As Soon As & No Sooner.... Did I or Had I....Than | Hardly…when

Using No Sooner Than….

The structure ‘no sooner’ is used to talk about something that happens immediately after something else.

No sooner had I stepped out, than it started raining.

This sentence means that I stepped out and immediately after that it started raining. These two activities take place almost simultaneously. There is no real-time difference between them.

When no sooner comes at the beginning of a sentence, we use inverted word order. That means the auxiliary verb comes before the subject.

• No sooner had I received her call, than I left for her place. (NOT No sooner I had received her call, …)

• No sooner had she finished one project, than she started the next. (= As soon as she finished one project, she started the next.)

• No sooner had I eaten the fish, than I started feeling sick. (= As soon as I ate the fish, I started feeling sick.)

• No sooner had they completed the work, than they demanded the wages. (= As soon as they completed the work, they demanded the wages.)

• No sooner had I gotten my bags unpacked than I realized that my camera was missing.

• No sooner had he graduated, than he was on his way to America.

The structure no sooner than is quite literary. It is not normally used in speaking. In a less formal style, we are more likely to say something like this:

They demanded wages soon after they completed the work.

I started feeling sick immediately after I ate the fish.

Using As soon as...

Questions

Combine the following sentences using as soon as.

1. He received the telegram. He started at once.

2. He finished his work. He went out immediately.

3. The bus arrived. At once the passengers rushed to board it.

4. The mother saw her son. She embraced him immediately.

5. The bell rang. Presently the students ran out of the class.

6. I went to bed. I fell asleep within no time.

7. She said it. At once she realized her mistake.

8. We heard the news. At once we rushed to the hospital.

9. I saw a snake. At once I ran away.

10. My friend saw me. He stopped the car at once.

Answers

1. As soon as he received the telegram, he started.

2. As soon as he finished his work, he went out.

3. As soon as the bus arrived, the passengers rushed to board it.

4. As soon as the mother saw her son, she embraced him.

No sooner … than, Hardly…when

If the second event occurs immediately after the first, we can express that idea using the structure no sooner … than.

Note that, in this structure no sooner introduces the event that occurred first.

• No sooner had I arrived at the station than the train came. (= I came first and the train arrived right after me.)

• No sooner had we heard the noise than we rushed to the spot.

• No sooner had she finished one project than she started working on the next.

• No sooner had I closed my eyes than I fell asleep.

Note that did is also possible in this structure.

• No sooner did I arrive at the station than the train came.

• No sooner did we hear the noise than we rushed to the spot.

Notes

When we begin a sentence with a negative word, we put the auxiliary verb before the subject.

• No sooner had she read the letter than she started crying. (NOT No sooner she read the letter than she started crying.)

Note that when and before are not possible in this structure.

Hardly and Scarcely

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

• Hardly had I reached the station when the train came.

• Scarcely had I reached the station when the train arrived.

As soon as

This structure is also used with the same meaning.

• As soon as I arrived at the station, the train came.

• As soon as she finished one project, she started working on the next.

5. As soon as the bell rang, the students ran out of the class.

6. As soon as I went to bed, I fell asleep.

7. As soon as she said it, she realized her mistake.

8. As soon as we heard the news, we rushed to the hospital.

9. As soon as I saw a snake, I ran away.

10. As soon as my friend saw me, he stopped the car.

No sooner ------ than

• Conjunction 'No sooner ---- than' is also used to denote simultaneous actions.

• It is the negative of 'As soon as'.

Let us see some examples of this conjunction in actual sentences.

Example - I

1) No sooner does he see other children than he becomes playful.

Remember the simple trick shown below:

No Sooner.... Did I or Had I....Than

Present: No sooner does he see other children than he becomes playful.

Present: No sooner do I see other children than I become playful.

Past: No sooner did he see other children, than he became playful.

From the above 3 examples, we deduce that:

1) The conjunction 'No sooner ----- than' is used in Present and Past tenses.

2) It can be used only in a sentence in which two actions take place.

3) 'No sooner' should never be followed by the word 'when'.

5) Do/Does/Did are followed by the first form of the verb. The word 'had' can also be used in the place of 'did' at the time.

Examples - II

Incorrect: No sooner we came out of the house, it started raining.

Correct: No sooner did we come out of the house than it started raining.