16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardInversion after no sooner

Standard English Conventions practice question

No sooner ____ the rain stopped than the sun came out.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. hadCorrect
  2. B. has
  3. C. did
  4. D. was

Answer: A. had

No sooner at the start takes the past perfect with inversion: no sooner had the rain stopped.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. has
The present perfect does not fit the past narrative.
C. did
Did would need stop, not stopped.
D. was
Was does not pair with stopped in this sense.

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