Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence. If there is no need to substitute it, select ‘No substitution’.
No sooner had she enter her apartment than she found a bouquet of flowers on her table.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is option 1 i.e. No sooner did she enter her apartment than.
Error concept: Incorrect verb form after an inversion structure.
What is wrong: The verb “enter” is in the base form without the correct auxiliary for past tense in the “No sooner… than” construction.
Grammatical concept:
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In “No sooner… than” sentences referring to the past, the structure is “No sooner + did + subject + base verb + than…”
Incorrectness of the concept in context: Saying “No sooner had she enter” is incorrect because “had” requires a past participle (entered), but the base verb is used instead. The correct auxiliary for past tense inversion is “did.”
How to correct: Replace “had she enter” with “did she enter.”
Correct phrase/ correction: No sooner did she enter her apartment than
Final sentence: No sooner did she enter her apartment than she found a bouquet of flowers on her table.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.