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English grammar error-spotting (correlative pair ‘‘scarcely … when …’’ and sequence of tenses): Read the sentence split into four labeled parts (A–D) and choose the single part that contains the grammatical/idiomatic error; select ‘‘No error’’ only if the sentence is fully correct: ‘‘Scarcely had / I arrived than / the train left. / No error.’

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: I arrived than

Explanation:


Given data

  • A: ‘‘Scarcely had’’ (introduces past perfect inversion)
  • B: ‘‘I arrived than’’
  • C: ‘‘the train left.’’
  • D: ‘‘No error.’’


Concept / Approach
The correlative pair is scarcely/hardly … when (not ‘‘than’’). We use past perfect for the earlier action and past simple for the following action in narrative sequencing—common in competitive-exam error spotting.


Step-by-step correction
Replace ‘‘than’’ with ‘‘when’’ → ‘‘Scarcely had I arrived when the train left.’’Tense pairing already fits: ‘‘had arrived’’ (earlier) → ‘‘left’’ (later).


Common pitfalls

  • Using ‘‘than’’ after ‘‘hardly/scarcely’’ due to confusion with comparatives.
  • Changing tenses unnecessarily; here the error is the connector, not the tenses.


Final Answer
I arrived than

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