| Element | FORM/USE: FRONT POSITION, INVERSION, WITH 'HARDLY' |
|---|---|
| SuperCat | ADVERBS |
| SubCat | position |
| Lexical Range | N/A |
| Level | C2 |
| Cando | Can use 'hardly' in front position followed by an inverted subject and verb, to give focus. |
| Corrected Learner Example | Hardly had he reached his front door when he heard the phone ringing. (Greece; C2 MASTERY; 1993; Greek; Pass) Hardly had she finished her complaints when Bob stood up, paid and left. (Switzerland; C2 MASTERY; 1993; French; Pass) Hardly had they arrived when they saw a sleek, black car leaving the house's yard. (Italy; C2 MASTERY; 2000; Italian; Pass) |
| Uncorrected Learner Example | |
| Comments | This is a very low frequency form in L1 data and restricted to literary contexts. NB it is more frequent in the learner data than in the L1 data. |
