'No sooner' sentences in English

2.1 Using "no sooner" at the beginning of a sentence

2.2 Using "no sooner" in the middle of a sentence

3. Alternative structures to "no sooner" sentences

1. What is "no sooner"?

No sooner is part of a correlative structure with than connecting two actions in which one happened immediately after the other.

2. Structure of "no sooner" sentences

2.1 Using "no sooner" at the beginning of a sentence

Structure: No sooner + auxiliary verb + subject + past perfect verb + than + subject + main verb.

When no sooner is used at the beginning of a sentence, the subject comes before the auxiliary verb. This structure is very common in formal writing.

Let’s go through the structure piece by piece:

No sooner: This is the phrase that introduces the sentence, indicating that one event happened immediately after another.
Auxiliary verb: Commonly, had is used, as no sooner typically pairs with the past perfect tense.
Subject: The subject of the first clause (the event that happens first).
Past perfect verb: The verb in the past perfect tense that expresses the first action.
Than: The correlative conjunction that links the first action to the second.
Subject: The subject of the second clause (the event that happens immediately after the first).
Main verb: The verb in the simple past tense that expresses the second action.

Examples of no sooner at the beginning of a sentence:

No sooner had she finished her dinner than she left for the party. (She finished her dinner, and immediately after, she left for the party.)
No sooner had they entered the room than the lights went out. (They entered the room, and immediately after, the lights went out.)
No sooner had I met him than I realised he was my old friend.
No sooner had the meeting started than the fire alarm went off.
No sooner had he opened the door than the cat ran outside.

2.2 Using "no sooner" in the middle of a sentence

Structure: Subject + auxiliary verb + no sooner + main verb + than + subject + verb.

Key points to remember:

Inversion of the auxiliary verb: Just like with "no sooner" used at the beginning of a sentence, here also, the auxiliary verb (usually "had") follows "no sooner", but the structure is placed within the sentence.
Past perfect tense: The action that happens first is in the past perfect tense, while the second action is in the simple past.

Examples of no sooner in the middle a sentence:

She had no sooner arrived at the station than the train left. (As soon as she arrived at the station, the train left.)
I had no sooner finished my lunch than the phone rang. (As soon as I finished my lunch, the phone rang.)
She had no sooner opened the letter than she began crying. (As soon as she opened the letter, she began crying.)
He had no sooner got the letter than he rushed to tell everyone. (As soon as he got the letter, he rushed to tell everyone.)
They had no sooner left than it started raining. (As soon as they left, it started raining.)
She had no sooner fallen in love than he broke her heart. (As soon as she fell in love, he broke her heart.)

3. Alternative structures to "no sooner" sentences

No sooner sentences can be replaced with as soon as sentences. Unlike no sooner, there’s no inversion of the subject and auxiliary verb in sentences with as soon as .

Structure: As soon as + subject + verb (in past tense), subject + verb (in past tense).