Mastering Time Conjunctions in English Grammar
In English grammar, expressing two actions that happen in rapid succession requires specific structures. To show that one event occurred immediately after another, we use coordinating and subordinating time conjunctions such as:
- As soon as
- No sooner.... than
- Hardly.... when
- Scarcely.... when
एका पाठोपाठ दोन क्रिया घडलेल्या असतील व त्या दोन क्रियांच्या मध्ये अत्यंत कमी कालावधी असेल तर वरील Conjunctions चा वापर करतात. वरील वाक्यामध्ये पहिली क्रिया पुर्ण होत न होत तोच दुसरी क्रिया घडते. अशी वाक्ये त्याचा अर्थ थोडासुद्धा न बदलता वेगळी वाक्यरचना करून लिहिता येतात.
Introductory Examples:
As soon as As soon as Sindabad reached the land, he knelt down and prayed to God.
सिंदबाद जमिनीवर पोहचताच त्याने गुडघे टेकवून परमेश्वराची प्रार्थना केली.
No sooner No sooner did Sindabad reach the land than he knelt down and prayed to God.
As soon as As soon as he saw the telegram, he started for his village.
त्याने तार वाचली न वाचली तोच तो त्याच्या गावी निघाला.
No sooner No sooner did he see the telegram than he started for his village.
1. Using "No sooner... than" instead of "As soon as"
When changing a sentence from As soon as to No sooner... than, follow these rules:
- Replace As soon as with No sooner at the beginning of the clause.
- If there is an auxiliary verb (helping verb) in the As soon as clause, place it immediately after No sooner.
- If there is no auxiliary verb, use do, does, or did depending on the tense of the main verb, and then convert the main verb to its base form (V1).
- If the main verb has no suffix (base form), use do.
- If the main verb ends with -s/-es, use does.
- If the main verb is in the past tense (V2), use did.
- Use than to connect the two clauses (replacing the comma).
- If the As soon as clause appears at the end of the sentence, bring it to the beginning when using No sooner... than.
As soon as As soon as the rats saw the cat, they ran away.
No sooner No sooner did the rats see the cat than they ran away.
As soon as As soon as the hunter aimed at the bird, it flew away.
No sooner No sooner did the hunter aim at the bird than it flew away.
As soon as As soon as we push the button, the lights are on.
No sooner No sooner do we push the button than the lights are on.
2. Using "As soon as" instead of "No sooner... than"
To reverse the process and change from No sooner... than to As soon as, apply these modifications:
- Replace No sooner with As soon as.
- Remove the auxiliary verbs do, does, or did if they were added for the negative inversion, and restore the original tense suffix to the main verb:
- Do leaves the verb unchanged.
- Does adds -s/-es to the main verb.
- Did changes the main verb back to its past tense form (V2).
- Remove than and insert a comma (,) to separate the clauses.
No sooner No sooner did I see her than she closed the door.
As soon as As soon as I saw her, she closed the door.
No sooner No sooner did we enter the house than the phone started ringing.
As soon as As soon as we entered the house, the phone started ringing.
No sooner No sooner was I on the road than I began to run.
As soon as As soon as I was on the road, I began to run.
No sooner No sooner do we stop pressing rubber than it springs back to its first shape.
As soon as As soon as we stop pressing rubber, it springs back to its first shape.
3. Using "Hardly... when" or "Scarcely... when"
These structures are also used to denote immediate succession and can easily replace As soon as or No sooner.
- Replace No sooner, as, when, or as soon as with Hardly had or Scarcely had.
- Follow this with the subject (noun/pronoun) and ensure the main verb is converted to its past participle form (V3).
- Connect the two sentences using when (instead of than or a comma).
As As the children found her asleep, they quietly got up.
Hardly Hardly had the children found her asleep when they quietly got up.
Scarcely Scarcely had the children found her asleep when they quietly got up.
As soon as As soon as he had finished his work, the bell rang.
Hardly Hardly had he finished his work when the bell rang.
No sooner No sooner did I see her than she closed the door.
Hardly Hardly had I seen her when she closed the door.
As soon as As soon as I got the phone call, I left for Kolhapur.
Hardly Hardly had I got the phone call when I left for Kolhapur.
When When the lion woke up, all the men fled.
Hardly Hardly had the lion woken up when all the men fled.
Summary of Time Conjunctions
Conjunctions and phrases like When, as, as soon as, no sooner... than, hardly... when, and scarcely... when are all inherently related to the time of the action. Because they indicate the same timing relationship, they can be used interchangeably without changing the core meaning of the sentence.
One Meaning, Five Structures:
- As soon as the children found her asleep, they quietly got up.
- No sooner did the children find her asleep than they quietly got up.
- Hardly had the children found her asleep when they quietly got up.
- When the children found her asleep, they quietly got up.
- As the children found her asleep, they quietly got up.
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