| A |
Good/well
Good is an adjective. The adverb is well:
- Your English is good. but You speak English well.
- Susan is a good pianist. but Susan plays the piano well.
We use well (not good) with past participles (dressed/known etc.): well-dressed, well-known, well-educated, well-paid
- Gary's father is a well-known writer.
But well is also an adjective with the meaning 'in good health':
- 'How are you today?' 'I'm very well, thanks.'
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| B |
Fast/hard/late
These words are both adjectives and adverbs:
| adjective |
adverb |
| Darren is a very fast runner. |
Darren can run very fast. |
| Kate is a hard worker. |
Kate works hard. (not works hardly) |
| I was late. |
I got up late this morning. |
Lately = recently:
- Have you seen Tom lately?
|
| C |
Hardly
Hardly = very little, almost not. Study these examples:
- Sarah wasn't very friendly at the party. She hardly spoke to me.
(= she spoke to me very little, almost not at all)
- We've only met once or twice. We hardly know each other.
Hard and hardly are different. Compare:
- He tried hard to find a job, but he had no luck. (= he tried a lot, with a lot of effort)
- I'm not surprised he didn't find a job. He hardly tried. (= he tried very little)
I can hardly do something = it's very difficult for me, almost impossible:
- Your writing is terrible. I can hardly read it. (= it is almost impossible to read it)
- My leg was hurting. I could hardly walk.
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| D |
You can use hardly + any/anybody/anyone/anything/anywhere:
- A: How much money have we got?
B: Hardly any. (= very little, almost none)
- These two cameras are very similar. There's hardly any difference between them.
- The exam results were very bad. Hardly anybody in our class passed. (= very few students passed)
Note that you can say:
- She said hardly anything. or She hardly said anything.
- We've got hardly any money. or We've hardly got any money.
Hardly ever = almost never:
- I'm nearly always at home in the evenings. I hardly ever go out.
Hardly also means 'certainly not'. For example:
- It's hardly surprising that you're tired. You haven't slept for three days.
(= it's certainly not surprising)
- The situation is serious, but it's hardly a crisis. (= it's certainly not a crisis)
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