Building and placing -ly adverbs (slowly, carefully); irregulars well/fast/hard; hard vs hardly; adjective after look/feel
I can build -ly adverbs, place them after the object and avoid the hard/hardly trap.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Drive carefully - the mountain road turns sharply after the bridge.
Drive carefully - the mountain road turns sharply after the bridge.
He trained hard all winter; his rivals hardly trained at all.
He trained hard all winter; his rivals hardly trained at all.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Adjective + -ly = adverb:
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| slow / careful | slowly / carefully |
| happy | happily (y→i) |
| good | well |
| fast / hard / late | fast / hard / late (no change) |
Position: after the verb/object (She sings beautifully), never between verb and object: *She speaks well English. Trap: hardly ≠ hard: He works hard (much) vs He hardly works (almost not). After look/feel/sound: adjective, not adverb: It looks good.
Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises
Practice ExercisesAdverb between verb and object
Verb + object + adverb
hard/hardly confused
hard = with effort; hardly = almost not
Drive carefully - the mountain road turns sharply after the bridge.
Drive carefully - the mountain road turns sharply after the bridge.
Two -ly adverbs in their natural slots.
He trained hard all winter; his rivals hardly trained at all.
He trained hard all winter; his rivals hardly trained at all.
hard vs hardly: opposite meanings side by side.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises