Question

Fill in the blank with the correct word:
No sooner had he heard the noise _______ they arrived.

• A. then
• B. than
• C. but
• D. so

Answer 1

The correct option is B than

Conjunctions are words that link other words, phrases, or clauses together.

The structure no sooner is used to talk about something that happens immediately after something else. When no sooner comes at the beginning of a sentence, we use inverted word order. That means the auxiliary verb comes before the subject. The conjunction 'No sooner ---- than' is also used to denote simultaneous actions. The given sentence depicts that as soon as he heard the noise, they arrived immediately. These two activities take place almost simultaneously. There is no real time difference between them. Thus Option B is correct. Option A can be ruled out as 'Then' indicates 'in that case'. We use 'then' with 'if' to talk about cause and effect but it cannot be used in association with 'no sooner' which is used in case of an event happening immediately after something else. Option C can be ruled out as but is used to introduce a word or phrase that contrasts with what was said before.'So' is used to indicate or show a result or consequence of an event. It cannot be associated with 'no sooner' which is used to denote simultaneous actions. Thus Option D is incorrect.