No sooner...than vs. Hardly...when

[Jesus1]

Hello! How do you feel?

What if Sunday lasts forever?

Well, my question:

I don?t know what?s the difference, if any, between
'No sooner... than' and 'Hardly...when'
May you explain it to me, please?

1.- I had no sooner entered home than the bell
rang.

Have a look at the following sentence as well.
Does it
make sense? Has it got the same meaning
as one above?

2.- I had hardly entered home when the bell rang.

Thanks indeed!

Jes?s

[Mister Micawber]

.
They seem synonymous to me, Jesus. Perhaps another member will find a subtle difference.

One thing you may find interesting is that both of these carry negative connotations, so would more likely front and cause the S-V to invert:

1.- No sooner had I entered home than the bellrang.

2.- Hardly had I entered home when the bell rang.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber