Is it no sooner than or no sooner when?

No sooner than. No sooner had the bell rung than the hall filled. When sounds natural because of hardly had we started when, but no sooner takes than, just like rather does. Then, the time word, is the other common slip.

Why does the blank sometimes come first?

Because in real reading the second half is often the clue. A student who sees nor later in the sentence knows the opening word must be neither. A student who can work from either end has learned the pair.

7th grade correlative conjunctions

7th grade correlative conjunctions worksheets

Seventh graders complete correlative pairs from either end: the blank can be the first word (neither ... nor) as well as the second. Along with either/or, neither/nor, both/and, not only/but also and whether/or, they meet rather ... than and no sooner ... than, and the two halves often sit a full clause apart.

Free printable PDF worksheet.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Choose the word that completes the conjunction pair, and write it on the line.

No sooner had the bell rung (than / then / when) the hallway filled with students.
Fixed: No sooner had the bell rung than the hallway filled with students.
(Both / Either / Neither) we catch the early train or we miss the start of the museum tour.
Not only did the fort guard the harbor, (and / but / or) it also served as the town’s first post office.

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 7th grade sheet

7th grade sheets draw from 53 sentences, 8 to a page. None of these sentences are on 6th grade sheets.

A few of the sentences, as the answer key corrects them:

Not only did Grace win the essay contest, but she also read her essay at the board meeting.
Neither the referee nor either of the line judges saw the ball cross the line.
Either the colonists would pay the new tax or they would stop buying British goods.

Fix it. Choose the word that completes the conjunction pair, and write it on the line. 8 sentences to fix per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Teach your student to read the whole sentence before writing anything, because the clue is often after the blank. If the sentence says nor later on, the blank has to be neither; if it says than after no sooner, the blank is than and never when. The two newer pairs both end in than, and the classic mix-up is spelling it then: rather walk than wait, no sooner sat down than the lights went out. Say the pair out loud as a unit (no sooner than, rather than) until the wrong partner sounds odd.

Watch for: These conjunctions are married pairs, not free agents: either/nor and neither/or are the classic mismatches, and the first word always chooses the second. Neither/nor already carries the negative, so the verb stays positive: 'neither rain nor mud STOPPED the game,' with no extra not.

Common questions about 7th grade correlative conjunctions

Is it no sooner than or no sooner when?: No sooner than. No sooner had the bell rung than the hall filled. When sounds natural because of hardly had we started when, but no sooner takes than, just like rather does. Then, the time word, is the other common slip.
Why does the blank sometimes come first?: Because in real reading the second half is often the clue. A student who sees nor later in the sentence knows the opening word must be neither. A student who can work from either end has learned the pair.

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Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

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