grammar · formal
hardly + had + S + past participle + when + clause
Indicates that one action happened immediately before another; often used in the past with inversion.
Examples
“Hardly had I sat down when the phone rang.”
“Hardly had the ceremony begun when it started to rain.”
“Hardly had they announced the results when complaints appeared online.”
Band 8 sentence
“Hardly had policymakers recognised the long-term risks when technological advances rendered their assumptions obsolete.”
Common mistakes
Hardly I had arrived when the meeting started.→Hardly had I arrived when the meeting started.
Hardly had he left than the problem began.→Hardly had he left when the problem began.
Say it for a higher band
5just + V2→6as soon as + clause→7+hardly + had + S + past participle + when + clause
Synonyms
scarcely...when
Easily confused
scarcely + had + S + past participle + when + clause
“Scarcely had she begun the lecture when the fire alarm went off.”
Related words
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In Comparatives
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