Did or Had, or both?

[Anglophile]

Please look at this question and its answer:
(english-test.net/esl/learn/e … l-test.php)

Question: No sooner … I shut the door, when the telephone rang.

(a) have
(b) did
(c) will
(d) had

Correct answer: (d) had

The use of ‘did’ also is often found in various grammar books. Is it not acceptable?
The subordinate clause should begin with ‘than’ (not ‘when’). Isn’t the question defective?

[Eugene2114]

1. forum.thefreedictionary.com/post … oner-.aspx
2. bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learn … ge61.shtml
3. aimpublishing.com/aimpub/word-us … ooner-when

–I would abstrain from tagging it as defective though, until we’ve heard from our pundits.

[Eugene2114]

Sorry, ‘abstain’ should it read, of course.

[James_M]

***** NOT A TEACHER ******

Hello, Anglophile:

May I add a few words to Eugene’s excellent links?

As usual, I think that you have hit the nail on the head.

I have checked six of my books, and I believe that these experts agree with you.

1. The “correct” construction is “no sooner … than.” (Because one is dealing with a kind of comparative sentence, so using “than” makes sense.)

a. BUT some books say that “when” is OK in informal, conversational English. (In other words, that is how some native speakers use the language, so who are they to call it “wrong.”)

2. All of my books except one assumed that one should use the past perfect.

a. Can you guess which one was more permissive?

i. Of course, it was our old friend Michael Swan in his hugely popular PRACTICAL ENGLISH USAGE.

As you know, Mr. Swan describes English as it IS – not as he wishes it were.

Here are two examples from his book:

“No sooner had she agreed to marry him than she started to have terrible doubts.”

“No sooner did Steve start going out with Tracy than she fell in love with Jasper.”

Mr. Swan does not make any comments. He does not judge those who use the indicative.

Thanks again for your question. No sooner had I read your question than I knew that I would have to consult my books.

James

[Gelu]

Two correct answers!

@Yankee

Option b (did) is also correct here. Both option b and option d should be designated as correct answers. However, only option d is currently programmed as a “correct” response.

The simple past tense can be and is also used in such a sentence. (The use of the simple past tense may be more common in North America, however.) In other words:

• [size=117][color=darkblue]No sooner did I shut the door, when the telephone rang. [/size]

I would also add that in a sentence or clause beginning with ‘No sooner’, the use of the word ‘than’ rather than ‘when’ is extremely common. In other words:

• [size=117][color=darkblue]No sooner did/had I shut the door than the telephone rang.[/size]
  [color=white].
  .
  Here are some further examples of the various options (taken from the BNC):

[i]- No sooner did she set eyes on the gentleman than she recognised his pecuniary position to be merely temporary.

• They were tantalizingly obscure --; no sooner did you think you’d begun to grasp the gist when it slipped through your fingers

• No sooner had she crossed a small bridge near the farm than the storm resumed with even greater intensity.

• No sooner had we done so when a staff officer drove up in a car, accused us of looting and ordered us to put the tins back in the cases.[/i]
  [color=white].
  .