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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
No sooner / as soon as
Hello,
My English teacher says the following sentence is not correct.
"No sooner does he find an expression to his taste while reading a book, than he marks it with a red pencil."
He says "no sooner" is usually followed by "had + sth + past participle" and that it is better to use "as soon as ..." here.
I checked several dictionaries and grammar books and searched on the Internet, "no sooner ... than ..." seems to be used in the present tense.
Is it true? Do you think the sentence is wrong and that we should use "as soon as" instead of "no sooner ... than"?
Thanks,
Rino
My English teacher says the following sentence is not correct.
"No sooner does he find an expression to his taste while reading a book, than he marks it with a red pencil."
He says "no sooner" is usually followed by "had + sth + past participle" and that it is better to use "as soon as ..." here.
I checked several dictionaries and grammar books and searched on the Internet, "no sooner ... than ..." seems to be used in the present tense.
Is it true? Do you think the sentence is wrong and that we should use "as soon as" instead of "no sooner ... than"?
Thanks,
Rino
Top answer
Your sentence does not refer to the present moment; you refer to a habit and so I think you can use it.
- Your sentence does not refer to the present moment; you refer to a habit and so I think you can use it.
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5 Answers
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Your sentence does not refer to the present moment; you refer to a habit and so I think you can use it.
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RinoMy English teacher says the following sentence is not correct.Your teacher is mistaken on this occasion.
RinoHe says "no sooner" is usually followed by "had + sth + past participle"It is, when we are talking about past events. It is not when we are talking about events that happen often.
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Thank you, vsuresh and fivejedjon,
By the way,
By the way,
Rino"No sooner does he find an expression to his taste while reading a book, than
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