Rarely. Seldom, Never
- they are most commonly used with the present perfect or past perfect
- with the present simple
- with modals such as can and could
Hardly...when
- when referring to an event that that is quickly followed by another one
- it is usually used with the past perfect
Little
- with verbs such as ' imagine ', ' suspect ', ' understand ' , ' realise ', ' know ', etc.
- it is usually used in the present simple or the past simple
- meaning: ' have no idea '
Scarcely...when
- when referring to an action that quickly follows another one
- it is usually used with the past perfect
No sooner
- it can be used with the past perfect or the past simple tense ( there is not any difference in meaning)
Only after, Only by, Only when, Not since, Not until
- when using the other type of inversion ( to invert the main clause in a sentence )
