Hardly had he been released/was he released or No sooner had he been released/was he released

[bartek1988]

I have a question concerning the use of tenses to similar constructions (A and B) which typically use inversion. I know that the past perfect is the most acceptable choice here, but would you also accept the use of the past simple? Longman Dictionary says that 'no sooner... than' can be used with the past simple (no sooner had/did ... than | meaning of no sooner had/did ... than in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE). I'm wondering if the past simple can also be used with 'hardly... when...'.

As soon as he was released from prison, he committed another crime.

A) Hardly had he been released/was he released from prison when he committed another crime.
B) No sooner had he been released/was he released from prison than he committed another crime.

 

[Tarheel]

Say:

No sooner had he been released from prison than he committed another crime.

In any case, you had it right to begin with.

 

[emsr2d2]

No sooner had he been released from prison than he he committed another crime.

 

[bartek1988]

Thank you for this. I've found a book about grammar problems on google books (English bhasha ke Errors, Mistakes avum Blunders se kaise bachay(E/H)
By Sc Gupta · 2018)
, and I found both tenses used in these constructions. Could you please explain why they are possible?

(https://www.google.pl/books/edition...ors_Mistakes_avum_B/s2LvDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0)

 

[emsr2d2]

If you quote something you've found in a book (online or physical), you must provide the title and name(s) of the author(s), or a link to the page/site where you took that screenshot from. It's a legal requirement.

 

[bartek1988]

If you quote something you've found in a book (online or physical), you must provide the title and name(s) of the author(s), or a link to the page/site where you took that screenshot from. It's a legal requirement.

sorry, done

 

[Tarheel]

I can give you my opinion, but I can't and won't talk about some grammar book I have never read.

A grammar book should in my humble opinion help you learn the language. If your grammar book is doing that, fine. It's up to you to decide at what point that book stops being useful.

 

[jutfrank]

We use the past perfect to emphasise the sequencing of events—one thing happens before another. This is why it works so well in these sentences, which rely on expressing such sequencing.

The past simple can be used, but since it doesn't place such an emphasis, there may result an interpretation of closer temporal relation.

As a teacher, I suggest you get into the habit of using the past perfect in such sentences.