Question 40
HardOriginal questionChoose the correct form of the verb to fill the blank.
Scarcely ______ the stage when the lights failed.
Show the answer and explanation
CorrectNot quiteAnswer A
Correct answer: A
Explanation
"Scarcely" at the start turns the verb round, so "had" comes before the subject: "scarcely had the singer reached ... when".
Worth noting
"The singer had reached" has the right tense but the normal order, which "scarcely" does not allow at the start. "Did ... reached" puts a past verb after "did".
- Concept
- The turned-round verb after "scarcely"
- Typical timeTypical
- 30 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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