Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.
Hardly had the match begun when it __________ to rain.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → started
Hardly had ... when:
This pattern shows that one past action came just after another. The first action takes the past perfect: hardly had + subject + past participle (V3). The part after when takes the simple past. The match began first. The rain came soon after it. So the blank takes "started".
Complete sentence: Hardly had the match begun when it started to rain.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: starts — Incorrect. "Starts" is the simple present. The sentence tells about a past event, as "had begun" shows. Example: School starts at eight every morning.
Option 2: has started — Incorrect. "Has started" is the present perfect. It links an action to now. But this rain began at a time in the past. Example: The new shop has started home delivery.
Option 4: had started — Incorrect. The past perfect is for the earlier of two past actions. Here the rain came later, after the match began. Example: The film had started before we found our seats.