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Question

Difficulty: MediumConjunctions and Clause Structure

Complete the sentence below by supplying the correct conjunction in the blank.

Answer:Scarcely had the minister presented the annual budgetary proposals 【when】 the parliamentary assembly adjourned for a recess.

Answer

when (or before)
In standard formal English clause structure, the negative adverbial correlative 'scarcely... had' requires the subordinate temporal conjunction 'when' or 'before' to connect the subsequent clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the introductory clause structure and negative adverbial starter.
The sentence begins with the negative limiting adverb 'Scarcely had' followed by subject-verb inversion ('had the minister presented').
Sentences introduced by restrictive or negative adverbs such as 'scarcely' or 'hardly' mandate specific correlative clause connectors.
2
Identify the appropriate conjunction to introduce the dependent temporal clause.
The correct conjunction to pair with 'scarcely' is 'when' or 'before'.
'Scarcely' and 'hardly' strictly correlate with 'when' or 'before', whereas 'than' correlates strictly with 'no sooner'.

Key Concept

Correlative Conjunctions and Inverted Clause Structure
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Topics

Conjunctions and Clause Structure

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