Question

Hardly had he arrived _____ it started raining.
(a) before
(b) when
(c) than
(d) after

Answer 1

Hint: While using correlative conjunctions, we have to see which is the first word. The first word here is “hardly”. Correlative conjunctions always come in pairs. For example: No sooner… than, Hardly… when, etc.

Complete answer:
A conjunction is a joining word- and, if, or, but, etc. A correlative conjunction is a joining pair of words that always come in pairs. An example of correlative conjunction is “no sooner… than”. Example: No sooner did she leave than the letter arrived.
(a) before- Using “before” in the given sentence is wrong because first of all, Hardly had he arrived before it started raining does not hold a correct meaning. Second of all, we already have the first part of the correlative conjunction “hardly… when” in the sentence which is “hardly”.
(b) when- Hardly had he arrived when it started raining uses the correlative conjunction hardly-when perfectly. It means that he had just arrived when at that very moment it started raining. “Hardly” means almost. This is the right answer.
(c) than- By English language rules and formula, “than” is strictly used with “no sooner”. It signifies that the second event happened immediately after the first event.
(d) after- We cannot use “after” with “Hardly” because it makes the meaning of the sentence wrong. Hardly-when is used to show that as soon as the first event got over, the second event started. This meaning cannot be conveyed when we are using “after”. The correct answer is option (b).

Note:
Always remember to use correlative conjunctions in pairs. We cannot use “no sooner” with anything other than “than” while “when” is to be used with “hardly”.