Question

Change the sentence by altering the normal word order:
(the sentence formed must be meaningful)
I had hardly left the house when my mother called me back. [Advanced]

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. Had hardly left the house I than my mother back me called.
• C. Hardly had I left the house than my mother called me back.
• D. Than my mother called me back hardly had I left the house.

Answer 1

The correct option is C Hardly had I left the house than my mother called me back.

An effective way to make language more emphatic when using English is by inverting a sentence's normal word order.
For example, 'I have never eaten such a flaky croissant.' is a regular sentence, with the word order: subject (I) + verb (have never eaten) + object (such a flaky croissant). To add emphasis, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject: Never have I eaten such a flaky croissant. ('Never' is an adverb and the main verb is 'eaten')
The given sentence is in the normal word order: subject (I) + verb (had hardly left), it must be changed to add emphasis, hence option A is incorrect.
Option C is correct as the normal word order is altered for emphasis, where the auxiliary comes before the subject as it should.
Option B is incorrect because the subject must follow the auxiliary (had), but here it comes after the object (the house).
Option D is incorrect as the than-clause must follow the previous clause to present a contrast, but here it has been brought in the beginning. So the sentence isn't comprehensible.