SAT 7

We use as soon as to show an action which is
immediately followed by another action.

Example:

The1setxaacmtieonnded. Every2onnde achceteiorend loudly.

Everyone cheered loudly as soon as the exam ended.
2nd action 1st action

As soon as the exam ended, everyone cheered loudly.

1st action 2nd action

We use no sooner… than to show that one thing
happens immediately after another thing.

As the word “sooner” in “no sooner” is a comparative
adverb like the word “better” in “no better”, the
expression should be followed by than, and we invert
the subject and verb.



Example:

We started cooking. Then, the door bell rang.

SV 1st action 2nd action

We had no sooner started cooking than the door bell

rang.

V S 1st action 2nd action

No sooner had we started cooking than the door bell
rang.

Xuan Hui started walking home.
Then, it started to rain.

Let’s give this a go!

Xuan Hui started walking home. Then, it started to
rain.

Let’s give this a go!

Answer: No sooner had Xuan Hui started walking home
than it started to rain.

Example:

We started cooking. Then, door bell rang.

V S 1st action 2nd action

No sooner did we start cooking than the door bell

rang.

Lydia won the Model Student Award. Then, she
started crying.

Let’s give this a go!
No sooner _____ than _____ .

Lydia won the Model Student Award.
Then, she started crying.

Let’s give this a go!

Answer: No sooner did Lydia win the Model Student
Award than she started crying.

As soon as Qasim left the meeting, his boss called
him back.

Let’s give this a go!
_____ no sooner _____ than _____ .
No sooner _____ than _____ .

As soon as Qasim left the meeting, his boss called him
back.

Let’s give this a go!

Answer:

Qasim had no sooner left the meeting than his boss called
him back.

No sooner had Qasim left the meeting than his boss called
him back.

No sooner did Qasim leave the meeting than his boss called
him back.

No sooner did Esther enter her room than she
knew something was wrong.

Let’s give this a go!
_____ as soon as _____ .
As soon as __________ .

No sooner did Esther enter her room than she knew something
was wrong.

Let’s give this a go!
Answer:
As soon as Esther entered her room, she knew something was
wrong.

Esther knew something was wrong as soon as she entered her
room.

No sooner had the virus infected
people than they turned into
zombies.

Let’s give this a go!
_____ as soon as _____ .
As soon as __________ .

No sooner had the virus infected people than
they turned into zombies.

Let’s give this a go!
As soon as the virus had infected people, they
turned into zombies.

People turned into zombies as soon as the virus
had infected them.