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Hardly had the speech ended when the audience erupted in applause.

C1

Sentence

Narrator

Hardly had the speech ended when the audience erupted in applause.

Study notes

How to use in different contexts

Narrating an Event

The moment the speaker finished, the crowd burst into thunderous applause.

Emphasizing Immediacy

No sooner had the speech concluded than the audience erupted in cheers.

Describing a Reaction

The audience's response was immediate and enthusiastic; applause followed the speech without delay.

Comparing Reactions

Unlike the previous speaker, this one received an immediate and overwhelming show of appreciation.

Rephrased versions

Formal

The conclusion of the speech was immediately followed by enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Casual

As soon as the speech was over, everyone started clapping like crazy.

Simpler English

The speech ended, and then the audience clapped.

Phrases to learn

Hardly had...when...

Used to emphasize the immediacy of one event following another.

erupted in applause

To suddenly and enthusiastically break into applause.