Direction: Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option. Hardly had he…
2025
Direction: Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option.
Hardly had he come out of the factory ______ an explosion shook the entire area.
Answer: A. when — Answer: when Explanation: Use "hardly...when" to show that two events happened almost immediately one after the other. In this construction, there is an…
- A.
when
- B.
then
- C.
than
- D.
till
Attempted by 20 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Answer: when
Explanation:
Use "hardly...when" to show that two events happened almost immediately one after the other. In this construction, there is an inversion: "Hardly had + subject + past participle + when + clause."
In the sentence, "Hardly had he come out of the factory when an explosion shook the entire area," the explosion happened immediately after he came out.
then — indicates sequence but cannot follow "hardly" in this structure; "hardly...then" is ungrammatical.
than — used for comparisons and does not express immediate succession between events.
till — means "until" and implies continuation up to a point, not immediate succession; it is unidiomatic with "hardly."