Select the most appropriate option to substitute the underlined segment. If no substitution is required select 'No substitution'.
He had barely spoken the words when he realised his mistake.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The Correct answer is option 2 i.e. No substitution.
- With "Hardly, Scarcely, Barely", the word "when" is used. Therefore if "than" is used then it should be replaced by "when". The expressions like hardly, scarcely, barely or no sooner can be used (often with a past perfect tense) to talk about two events that happen one after another.
- Ex: Barely had I reached the station when the train came.
- Note the sentence follow given structure:-
- … barely… when… / hardly … when / before … , … scarcely … when / before … , … no sooner … than.
Hence, the given sentence is correct in itself so no substitution required.