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Difficulty: MediumConjunctions and Clause Structure

Which of the following options correctly completes the sentence below?

'__________ had the vice-chancellor concluded his address than the student union representatives raised a point of order.'

  1. No soonerAnswer
  2. B
    Hardly
  3. C
    Scarcely
  4. D
    Barely

Answer

No sooner
The expression 'No sooner' is a negative comparative element that requires inversion of the auxiliary verb ('had the vice-chancellor') and strictly correlates with 'than' in the subsequent clause to express two actions happening in immediate sequence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structural connector in the second clause of the sentence.
Identified the comparative conjunction 'than' introducing the subordinate clause.
Correlative conjunctions operate in strict pairs; the presence of 'than' dictates the preceding negative/limiting adverbial.
2
Evaluate the pairing rules for negative limiting adverbs used with inverted clause structures.
'No sooner' pairs exclusively with 'than', whereas 'hardly', 'scarcely', and 'barely' pair with 'when' or 'before'.
Matching the correct correlative pair ensures grammatical concord across the complex sentence structure.

Key Concept

Correlative Conjunctions and Inverted Clause Structure
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Conjunctions and Clause Structure

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