Search results
Hardly ever, rarely, scarcely, seldom - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
- Polski
Hardly ever, rarely, scarcely, seldom - English Grammar...
- English (US)
Hardly ever, rarely, scarcely, seldom - English Grammar...
- English Grammar Today
Hardly ever, rarely, scarcely, seldom — English Grammar...
- Polski
When a story is told in the past tense, the adverbials hardly, scarcely, barely and no sooner are often used to emphasise that one event quickly followed another. The verb describing the earlier event is usually in the past perfect tense. If hardly, scarcely, barely and no sooner are in the initial position, the subject and auxiliary are inverted:
Hardly/Scarcely ----- when The conjunction 'Hardly/Scarcely ----- when' is also used to denote simultaneous actions. Example: 1) Hardly had I called my mother when my bell rang. 2) scarcely had she finished eating when she got a stomach ache. Provided below is a simple trick to remember the usage of this conjunction:
You can also use hardly, scarcely and barely to say that one thing happens immediately after another: We had hardly/ scarcely/ barely sat down at the table, when the doorbell rang. In formal, written English, especially in a literary style, these words can be placed at the beginning of the sentence and then the subject and verb are turned around:
- How to Use Hardly, Scarcely, Barely in English
- Hardly
- Scarcely
- Barely
In today’s English lesson for B2 upper-intermediate and C1 Advanced learners in how to use the words Hardly, Scarcely, Barelyin English. The three words have very similar meanings and we can use them almost interchangeably. So let’s look at how we use them.
Hardly means the same as almost not, only just and certainly not. For example, if you say ‘We hardly ever go to the cinema these days’ it means that we almost nevergo to the cinema. If you say ‘What’s wrong with your hand? You can hardly hold your fork’ you mean that the other person can only justhold his or her fork in their hand. Most likely beca...
Scarcely also means almost not, only just and certainly not. Look at some examples of how we use it: 1. She was scarcelyable to walk after she had her baby. 2. We had scarcelyarrived at the cinema when the film started. 3. Sacking the coach was scarcelythe best decision to take. As you can see, the examples above are very similar to the examples wi...
Barely means almost not, or only just. We don’t use it to mean certainly not. Here are some examples: 1. My salary is barelyenough to make ends meet. 2. He spoke in such a low voice that I could barelyhear what he was saying. 3. We had barelyleft home when the car broke down. So that’s how we use Hardly, Scarcely, Barely in English. Don’t forget th...
I barely / hardly / scarcely knew Jack, although I know he was a great friend of John's. We had barely / hardly / scarcely finished dinner when they arrived. hardly + any (+ -one/-thing)
Aug 20, 2013 · It is possible to express the same idea using hardly/scarcely…when. Hardly had I reached the station when the train came. Scarcely had I reached the station when the train arrived. As soon as. This structure is also used with the same meaning. As soon as I arrived at the station, the train came.
People also ask
How do you use 'hardly/scarcely' in a sentence?
What does hardly mean in a sentence?
What does hardly and scarcely mean?
What does scarcely and scarcely mean?
Can You substitute'scarcely' for 'hardly' in a sentence?
How do you use hardly rarely adverb?
