"No sooner..." - the exact meaning and usage

[Tomasz Klimkiewicz]

Hello, everyone,

I am new to this forum, nevertheless I hope I can count on the experts' or just other members' advice on the following grammatical issue:

What is the correct usage of the expression beginning with "No sooner..." and the right order of clauses following it? Any informative reply will be greatly appreciated.

Regards to all, Tee Kay.

[Tdol]

Hi, Tee Kay, and welcome.

No sooner + inverted past parfect ... than + past tense

No sooner HAD I said it than I realised how stupid it was.

[Tomasz Klimkiewicz]

Thanks, Tdol.

I'm afraid I will have to memorise the structure, since, to me at least, the meaning of a sentence so constructed defies all logic. Am I right thinking that the meaning of the particular exmple you used is:
As soon as I said it, I realised how stupid it was?

Thanks again.

[Steven D]

Originally Posted by Tomasz Klimkiewicz

Thanks, Tdol.

I'm afraid I will have to memorise the structure, since, to me at least, the meaning of a sentence so constructed defies all logic. Am I right thinking that the meaning of the particular exmple you used is:
As soon as I said it, I realised how stupid it was?

Thanks again.

Hi,

That's what it means, yes.

This is, of course, called an inversion. It's done for emphasis. It can also capture the attention of the listener. It's kind of an attention getter. Inversions are not used often. However, they are important as a form of expression. Inverted sentence structures are an advanced topic for sure.

:D 8)