The sentence reads: "The President had hardly spoken a few words when the microphone stopped functioning." Let's break it down to identify any grammatical error:
- Option A - The President had hardly spoken:
- This part is grammatically correct. "Had hardly spoken" is properly used in the past perfect tense to indicate an action that occurred before another action in the past.
- Option B - a few words:
- This part is also correct. "A few words" is a proper noun phrase and fits logically with the verb "spoken."
- Option C - when the microphone stopped functioning:
- This part is correct. The use of "when" is appropriate here because it shows the time when the microphone stopped functioning, following the past perfect tense.
- Option D - No error:
- There are no grammatical errors in the sentence. All parts are correctly structured.
- Final Answer:
- The sentence is free of errors, so the correct answer is D. No error.