Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate conjunction:
Hardly had the child seen the mother _____ he came running towards her.
a) then
b) than
c) when
d) as

Answer 1

Hint: The conjunction phrases are apart from each other. These conjunctions are
used to join sentences with two main subject matters. The option that is the part of this correlative conjunction will be the answer.

Complete answer:
In grammar, the conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, phrases, or clauses that are called the conjuncts of the conjunctions.
Conjunctions have an important function because they join other words and phrases together. Without conjunctions, we could only make very, very simple sentences. Some conjunctions contain multiple words. They are called correlative conjunctions.
In the given sentence, the conjunctions should be split up and distributed, so that the meaning of the sentence does not change at all.

In the given sentence, there are two subject matters. So, we can conclude that we are looking for correlative conjunctions. One part of the correlative conjunction is ‘hardly’. the word ‘hardly’ is similar in meaning to ‘no sooner’. So, their partners must be the same.

Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options:

a) then - The word ‘then’ is not a conjunction. It cannot be a part of a correlative conjunction, as it is not one itself. This word is not related to the phrase ‘no sooner’ or ‘hardly’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) than - The word ‘than’ is a part of a correlative conjunction. It is part of correlative conjunction along with the phrase ‘no sooner’. Therefore, it is also connected with ‘hardly’. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c) when - The word ‘when’ is not a part of any correlative conjunctions. This word is not related to the phrase ‘no sooner’ or ‘hardly’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) as - The word ‘as’ is also not a part of any correlative conjunctions. This word is not related to the phrase ‘no sooner’ or ‘hardly’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Try to understand the meaning of the given sentence. Then, try to find the option that is grammatically correct. Go through each of the given options, and choose the most appropriate option accordingly.