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Question

Difficulty: Very hardAdjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

Complete the sentence below by filling in the blank with the grammatically correct adverbial correlative conjunction required by the introductory negative modifier structure.

Answer:No sooner had the lead researcher published the empirical findings 【than】 rival laboratories attempted to replicate the complex experiment.

Answer

The sentence is completed using the word 'than'.
The correct modifier to complete the sentence is 'than'. In formal English grammar, when a sentence begins with the negative comparative adverbial modifier 'No sooner', it triggers subject-auxiliary inversion ('had the lead researcher published') and strictly requires 'than' to connect the main clause to the subordinate time clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the introductory adverbial structure of the sentence.
The sentence begins with the negative comparative adverbial modifier phrase 'No sooner had', which triggers subject-auxiliary inversion.
Negative and limiting adverbials placed at the front of a sentence require inverted word order for emphatic effect.
2
Determine the mandatory correlative conjunction that completes the 'No sooner' modifier pairing.
The comparative form 'sooner' grammatically requires the comparative correlative conjunction 'than'.
'No sooner' must strictly pair with 'than' to introduce the subsequent temporal event, contrasting with 'hardly/scarcely/barely' which pair with 'when' or 'before'.

Key Concept

Correlative Adverbial Inversion and Modifier Pairing
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Adjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

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