Hardly, though often interchangeable with scarcely and barely, usually emphasizes the idea of the difficulty involved: We could hardly endure the winter. Send us feedback. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hardly.' The conjunction 'Hardly/Scarcely ------ when' is also used to denote simultaneous actions. We can use scarcely instead of hardly. 'Hardly had [something happened]' is an expression of time, but not comparison, indicating the moment after the event. The meaning is the same. In our era of social dissolution, the timing could, For Danny Diaz, who oversaw the get-out-the-vote effort of the nonprofit La Unión del Pueblo Entero (L.U.P.E. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of the sentence.Hardly had the teacher left the room, when all the children started making a noise. Delivered to your inbox! This last example is the most advanced use of Hardly. Hardly had I reached the station when the train came. Click hereto get an answer to your question ️ Re - write the following sentence according to the instructions given. Accessed 16 Jan. 2021. I'd (I had) hardly got home from work when / before my boss called me and asked me to go back to the office. [3]. Hardly had Alice seen her mother when she started crying. Does English Have More Words Than Any Other Language? Therefore these two naturally go together: (b) 'Hardly had I arrived when it started to rain'. In stories and in formal English, hardly is sometimes used at the beginning of a sentence before an auxiliary verb: Hardly had she begun to speak, when there was a shout from the back of the hall. when / before . Hardly do I know about her.>> I hardly know her. Hardly had I reached the station when the train came. Hardly, barely Hardly and barely mean 'just', 'not very much', or 'scarcely': The weather is so bad that he can hardly see the road. The weather is so bad that he has difficulty seeing the road. to say that something happened and another thing happened very soon afterwards. The verb describing the earlier event is usually in the past perfect tense. 1A. I had just arrived when it started to rain. Words like hardly behave as negatives in other respects as well, as for example in combining with words like any or at all, which normally only occur where a negative is present (thus, standard usage is I've got hardly any money but not I've got any money). We can use it in mid position, or before an adjective or a noun: He wore a big hat that covered his head and you could … Hardly and scarcely It is possible to express the same idea using hardly/scarcely…when. See more. If I change this to [2]. Hardly, barely Hardly and barely mean 'just', 'not very much', or 'scarcely': The weather is so bad that he can hardly see the road. I scarcely had time to ring the bell before the door opened. I scarcely had time to ring the bell before the door opened. no sooner/hardly had... than used to say that one thing happens immediately after another thing No sooner had I got into the house than the phone rang. The sentence Mary hardly laughed means that Mary did laugh a little, not that she kept from laughing altogether, and therefore does not express a negative proposition. Hardly: We say hardly . Your sentence is OK, and the word order is fine. "Hardly" is an adverb, and is most natural when placed before the verb. 2 3 hardly ever phrase. In each group, do the two sentences have the same meaning? Hardly in sense 5 is used sometimes with not for emphasis. I have two groups of sentences. 'Hardly had [something happened]' is an expression of time, but not comparison, indicating the moment after the event. See also: ever, hardly I'd (I had) scarcely / hardly finished cleaning up the mess when / before my son dropped cake on the floor. What made you want to look up hardly? Here Are Our Top English Tips, The Best Articles To Improve Your English Language Usage, The Most Common English Language Questions. It's here! “Hardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hardly. 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? Therefore these two naturally go together: (b) 'Hardly had I arrived when it started to rain'. before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1. The weather is so bad that he has difficulty seeing the road. ‘I mean, a person can hardly sit down today without a movie or without music or something going on.’ ‘Southwell had hardly sat down when the price was being paid, with Jerry Flannery on the tail end of an irresistible maul.’ ‘He had hardly sat down and received his fork before starting to … Also, rarely ever, scarcely ever. The conjunction 'Hardly/Scarcely ------ when' is also used to denote simultaneous actions. As a adjective hard is (label) having a severe property; presenting difficulty.As a noun hard is (nautical) a firm or paved beach or slope convenient for hauling vessels out of the water. He hardly ate anything/He ate hardly anything. Hardly had Alice seen her mother when she started crying. ... "Leslie's wild for books and magazines," Miss Cornelia had told her, "and she hardly ever sees one. . 2B. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. Which of the following refers to thin, bending ice, or to the act of running over such ice. Hardly had I arrived when it started to rain. View in context. The party had hardly started when she left. . No sooner can be used in the same way, but is always used with than: No sooner had we sat down at the table than the doorbell rang. How to use hardly in a sentence. Hardly, barely, scarcely imply a narrow margin by which performance was, is, or will be achieved. In sense 4b with a negative verb (such as can't, wouldn't, didn't) it does not make a double negative but softens the negative. Look at some examples of how we use it: She was scarcely able to walk after she had her baby. The ever in these expressions, first recorded in 1694, serves as an intensifier. Very seldom, almost never, as in This kind of thief is hardly ever caught, or He rarely ever brings up his wartime experiences. We had scarcely arrived at the cinema when the film started. 2. Hardly had Rostov handed him the letter and finished explaining Denisov's case, when hasty steps and the jingling of spurs were heard on the stairs, and the general, leaving him, went to the porch. Sacking the coach was scarcely the best decision to take. I guess the construction is correct. He had hardly collected the papers on his desk when the door burst open. Are You Learning English? Hardly had I started working on the computer when the electricity was gone. no sooner/hardly had... than used to say that one thing happens immediately after another thing No sooner had I got into the house than the phone rang. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! 1B. I'd (I had) hardly finished cleaning up the mess when / before my son dropped cake on the floor. Hardly and scarcely can be used to mean ‘almost never’, but barely is not used in this way: She hardly (ever) sees her parents these days. Click hereto get an answer to your question ️ Re - write the following sentence according to the instructions given. ▶ USAGE Since hardly, scarcely, and barely already have negative force, it is redundant to use another negative in the same clause: he had hardly had (not he hadn't hardly had) time to think; there was scarcely any (not scarcely no) bread left Each of these paired expressions makes sense as shown here, but not if their elements are mixed up. Find more similar words at wordhippo.com! It normally means ‘almost not at all’ or ‘only just’. Hardly had he returned to London than an anonymous well-wisher called to say he was about to be raided by Customs & Excise. This is because adverbs like hardly are treated as if they were negatives, and it is a well-known grammatical rule of standard English that double negatives (i.e. Hardly and scarcely It is possible to express the same idea using hardly/scarcely…when. If you say hardly had one thing happened when something else happened, you mean that the first event was followed immediately by the second. 1Scarcely (used to qualify a statement by saying that it is true to an insignificant degree), Words like hardly, scarcely, and rarely should not be used with negative constructions. It emphasizes the near interruption of your dinner. Hardly the bell had rung when Matthew started running out of his classroom. . Learn a new word every day. Hardly is not related to the word ‘hard’. See also: ever, hardly Very seldom, almost never, as in This kind of thief is hardly ever caught, or He rarely ever brings up his wartime experiences. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Definition of hardly/scarcely than —used to say that something happens immediately after something else Hardly/scarcely had the sun come up than dark clouds began to roll in. Scarcely also means almost not, only just and certainly not. Hardly had the bell rung when Matthew started running out of his classroom. Scarcely had the police seen the culprit when he started fleeing away. Definition of hardly/scarcely than —used to say that something happens immediately after something else Hardly/scarcely had the sun come up than dark clouds began to roll in. In more formal speech and in literature we sometimes use inversion after hardly and scarcely. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hardly, Nglish: Translation of hardly for Spanish Speakers, Britannica English: Translation of hardly for Arabic Speakers. Hardly and scarcely can be used to mean ‘almost never’, but barely is not used in this way: She hardly (ever) sees her parents these days. Each of these paired expressions makes sense as … You might expect that this adverb would be used to indicate that something was done in a hard way: “He hit the nail hardly”; “He punched his opponent hardly”. Scarcely had I … just another day at the office? 1 used for saying that something is … only just; almost not: I could hardly hear her at the back. [3]. a)barely b)An experssion of sarcasm when asked a question to which the answer is a definite no. If I change this to [2]. I guess the construction is correct. When Matthew started running out of his classroom, the bell had hardly rung. Hardly the bell had rung when Matthew started running out of his classroom. See also double negative, Scarcely (used to qualify a statement by saying that it is true to an insignificant degree), , barely, only just, not much, faintly, narrowly, slightly, rarely, little, , barely, scarcely, only with effort, only just, almost not, No or not (suggesting surprise at or disagreement with a statement). When Matthew started running out of his classroom, the bell had hardly rung. Hardly had I finished dinner when the phone rang.>> I had hardly finished dinner when the phone rang. 'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'? Hardly definition is - with force : vigorously. ), the results were, But the last decade, and 2020 in particular, was, Post the Definition of hardly to Facebook, Share the Definition of hardly on Twitter. Use of hardly with a negative verb is a speech form; it is most commonly heard in Southern and Midland speech areas. As adverbs the difference between hard and hardly is that hard is (manner) with much force or effort while hardly is (manner|obsolete) firmly, vigorously, with strength or exertion. Hardly is defined as barely, scarcely or not likely. Hardly has a negative meaning. in this case having hardly and not in the same clause) are not acceptable. Hardly had the bell rung when Matthew started running out of his classroom. Thus, it is correct to say I can hardly wait but incorrect to say I can't hardly wait. Barely had Robin entered the room when Tom started shouting. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of the sentence.Hardly had the teacher left the room, when all the children started making a noise.