Inversion After Hardly, Scarcely, No Sooner

Use negative adverbials for dramatic effect.

Examples

• Hardly had I sat down when the phone rang.

Key rules

• After hardly, scarcely or barely use inversion: Hardly had I sat down when the phone rang
• No sooner uses than: No sooner had I arrived than it rained
• The auxiliary (had) comes before the subject
• The first clause uses past perfect, the second uses past simple

Common mistakes

• Hardly I had sat → Hardly had I sat
• No sooner had I arrived when → No sooner had I arrived than