Which is correct:
- Scarcely did she put down the phone when it rang again.
- Scarcely had she put down the phone when it rang again.
My own take is that both are correct, but that "had she" indicates a connection between the phone ringing and the fact that it was put down.
My "adversary" believes that only "had she" (past perfect) is correct, because the putting down precedes a past event, ie the phone ringing.
Best Answer
I believe that both sentences are correct, but their meanings are different. Do is used both for emphasis as in "I do believe you," and to indicate habitual or repeated action as in "I do take sugar in my tea." Anyone who has suffered through the recent U.S. election, on hearing the first sentence, would think: what! the (DNC,RNC) is calling back again. I think there is a second interpretation, which Edwin Ashworth would call "one-off:" perhaps did is being used to emphasize immediacy. Here are two examples: "No sooner did I get the news, than I petitioned the Lord Justice Clerk." (David Balfour, R.L. Stevenson) "No sooner did he face her, than Miss Pross uttered a scream ..." (A tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens)