Model Answer
0 min readIntroduction
Grammatical accuracy and stylistic clarity are crucial components of effective communication, particularly in formal writing like that required for the UPSC examination. Often, sentences can be improved by replacing wordy phrases with more concise alternatives. The phrase "as soon as" indicates immediacy, but can sometimes be replaced with "no sooner than" to create a more emphatic and sophisticated sentence structure. This transformation often necessitates a change in the sentence's grammatical order, specifically an inversion of the auxiliary and subject.
The original sentence is: "As soon as he went there, the uproar commenced."
Transformation using "No Sooner Than"
Replacing "as soon as" with "no sooner than" requires a specific grammatical structure. "No sooner than" is followed by the past perfect tense, and the main clause requires inversion of the auxiliary verb and the subject.
The transformed sentence is: "No sooner had he gone there than the uproar commenced."
Explanation of the Change
- "As soon as" vs. "No sooner than": Both phrases convey immediacy, but "no sooner than" emphasizes that the second event happened immediately *after* the first, often with a sense of surprise or consequence.
- Past Perfect Tense: "Had gone" is the past perfect tense, used to indicate an action completed before another action in the past ("commenced").
- Inversion: The structure "No sooner had [subject] [past participle] than..." requires inverting the auxiliary verb ("had") and the subject ("he"). This is a key grammatical rule associated with "no sooner than".
Illustrative Examples
Let's consider other examples to solidify the understanding:
- Original: As soon as she finished her speech, the audience applauded.
- Transformed: No sooner had she finished her speech than the audience applauded.
- Original: As soon as the rain stopped, we went outside.
- Transformed: No sooner had the rain stopped than we went outside.
Common Errors to Avoid
A common mistake is to omit the "had" or to fail to invert the subject and auxiliary verb. For example, "No sooner he went there than the uproar commenced" is grammatically incorrect.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the correct transformation of the given sentence using "no sooner than" is "No sooner had he gone there than the uproar commenced." This demonstrates a clear understanding of grammatical rules related to correlative conjunctions and sentence structure. Mastering such transformations is essential for precise and effective written communication, a skill highly valued in the UPSC examination. The ability to identify and correct such errors showcases linguistic proficiency and attention to detail.
Answer Length
This is a comprehensive model answer for learning purposes and may exceed the word limit. In the exam, always adhere to the prescribed word count.