Question:medium

The part of the sentence underlined below may contain an error. Choose the option that replaces the underlined part with the grammatically correct choice.

He had not scarcely entered when I shouted.

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'Scarcely' is already negative, and it has a fixed partner word that follows it.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • scarcely entered when
  • scarcely entered than
  • not hardly entered when
  • scarcely enters
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Words like 'scarcely' and 'hardly' are negatives on their own. Putting 'not' with them doubles the negation, which is a grammar error. The idiom is 'scarcely ... when'.

  • scarcely entered when is correct because it removes the redundant 'not' and uses the matching connector 'when'.
  • scarcely entered than mismatches the connector; 'than' belongs to 'no sooner ... than'.
  • not hardly entered when keeps a double negative and is unacceptable.
  • scarcely enters wrongly shifts the tense to the present.

'Scarcely entered when' is the sentence you want.

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