Question

Choose the correct sentence:

• A. Women were very seldom convict.
• B. His eyes had hardly close.
• C. Hardly had he settled into his seat when Radha charged in.
• D. Hardly nobody came.

Hint:

Remember the key structures for inversion: - \textbf{Hardly/Scarcely... when...} (e.g., Hardly had I left when it started to rain.) - \textbf{No sooner... than...} (e.g., No sooner had I left than it started to rain.)

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question tests the correct grammatical structure of sentences, focusing on inversion with adverbs like 'hardly' and 'seldom', verb forms, and double negatives.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze each option:
- (A) Women were very seldom convict.: Incorrect. "Convict" is a verb or a noun. The correct form would be the past participle "convicted". The sentence should be "Women were very seldom convicted."
- (B) His eyes had hardly close.: Incorrect. After the auxiliary verb 'had', the past participle form of the main verb ('closed') is required. It should be "His eyes had hardly closed."
- (C) Hardly had he settled into his seat when Radha charged in.: Correct. When a sentence begins with a negative or restrictive adverb like 'Hardly', 'Scarcely', 'No sooner', or 'Seldom', we use inversion (auxiliary verb before the subject). The structure is Hardly + had + subject + past participle ... when + past simple. This sentence follows the rule perfectly.
- (D) Hardly nobody came.: Incorrect. This is a double negative. 'Hardly' is already a negative adverb, so using 'nobody' with it is incorrect. It should be "Hardly anybody came" or "Almost nobody came."
Step 3: Final Answer:
Option (C) is the only grammatically correct sentence, demonstrating the correct use of inversion after "Hardly".