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Unit 101 · Adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives and adverbs 2 (well, fast, late, hard/hardly)

Study

A

Good is an adjective. The adverb is well:

›

Your English is good. but You speak English well.

›

Sophie is a good pianist. but Sophie plays the piano well.

We use well (not good) with past participles (known/educated etc.). For example:

well-known well-educated well-paid well-behaved
›

Sophie's father is a well-known writer.

Well is also an adjective meaning 'in good health':

›

'How are you today?' 'I'm very well, thanks.'

B

These words are both adjectives and adverbs:

adjective adverb
Darren is a **fast** runner. Darren can run **fast**.
It's **hard** to find a job right now. Kate works **hard**. (not works hardly)
Sorry I'm **late**. I got up **late**.

lately = recently:

›

Have you seen Kate lately?

C

hardly = very little, almost not:

›

Sarah wasn't very friendly at the party. She hardly spoke to me. (= she spoke to me very little)

›

We've only met once or twice. We hardly know each other.

Compare hard and hardly:

›

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)

Hardly goes before the verb:

›

We hardly know each other. (not We know each other hardly)

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.

D

You can use hardly + any/anybody/anyone/anything/anywhere:

›

A: How much money do we have? B: Hardly any. (= very little, almost none)

›

These two cameras are very similar. There's hardly any difference between them.

›

The exam results were bad. Hardly anybody in our class passed. (= very few students passed)

›

She was very quiet. She said hardly anything. or She hardly said anything.

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)

Exercises (5)

0/5 exercises checked
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101.1

Put in good or well.

  1. 1
    I play tennis but I'm not very .example
  2. 2
    Joe's exam results were very .
  3. 3
    Joe did in his exams.
  4. 4
    I didn't sleep last night.
  5. 5
    I like your hat. It looks on you.
  6. 6
    Can you speak up? I can't hear you very .
  7. 7
    I've met her a few times, but I don't know her .
  8. 8
    Lucy speaks German . She's at languages.
101.2

Complete these sentences using well + the following words:

behavedinformedkeptknownpaidwritten
  1. 1
    The children were very good. They were .example
  2. 2
    I'm surprised you haven't heard of her. She is quite .
  3. 3
    Our neighbours' garden is neat and tidy. It is very .
  4. 4
    I enjoyed the book. It's a great story and it's very .
  5. 5
    Tanya knows about everything. She is very .
  6. 6
    Jane works very hard in her job, but she isn't very .
101.3

Which is right?

  1. 1
    I'm tired because I've been working hard / hardly.
  2. 2
    I wasn't in a hurry, so I was walking slow / slowly.
  3. 3
    I haven't been to the cinema late / lately.
  4. 4
    Slow down! You're walking too fast / quick for me.
  5. 5
    I tried hard / hardly to remember her name, but I couldn't.
  6. 6
    This coat is practically unused. I've hard / hardly worn it.
  7. 7
    Laura is a good tennis player. She hits the ball very hard / hardly.
  8. 8
    It's really dark in here. I can hardly see / see hardly.
  9. 9
    Ben is going to run a marathon. He's been training hard / hardly.
101.4

Complete the sentences. Use hardly + the following verbs (in the correct form):

changehearknowrecognisesaysleepspeak
  1. 1
    Scott and Tracy have only met once before. They each other.example
  2. 2
    You're speaking very quietly. I can you.
  3. 3
    I don't feel good this morning. I last night.
  4. 4
    We were so shocked when we heard the news, we could .
  5. 5
    Kate was very quiet this evening. She anything.
  6. 6
    Gary looks just like he looked 15 years ago. He has .
  7. 7
    David looked different without his beard. I him.
101.5

Complete these sentences with hardly + any/anybody/anything/anywhere/ever.

  1. 1
    I'll have to go shopping. There's to eat.example
  2. 2
    It was a very warm day and there was wind.
  3. 3
    'Do you know much about computers?' 'No, .'
  4. 4
    The hotel was almost empty. There was staying there.
  5. 5
    I listen to the radio a lot, but I watch TV.
  6. 6
    It was very crowded in the room. There was to sit.
  7. 7
    We used to be good friends, but we see each other now.
  8. 8
    We invited lots of people to the party, but came.
  9. 9
    It didn't take us long to drive there. There was traffic.
  10. 10
    There isn't much to do in this town. There's to go.