Which should you use, no sooner than or as soon as? The expression as soon as is used for referring to two actions, one happening after the other.
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I called her as soon as I got home.
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| Correct: |
I will call her as soon as I get home.
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The expression no sooner than is used for comparing two past events, one happening after the other. Please note that the comparative form sooner is used with than and that the past simple tense is used to talk about the second past event.
| Correct: |
No sooner had I finished the test than the bell rang.
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| Correct: |
No sooner had I I deleted the junk e-mails than a few more came in.
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The expression no sooner than sometimes carries a negative meaning. The first example means that I had barely finished the test when the bell rang; I almost didn’t finish the test on time.
