Hard or Hardly? Late or Lately?

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Hard or Hardly? Late or Lately?

By the end: I can distinguish common adverbs whose meanings change with -ly.

Created by , British English teacher.

I’m studying:

Try the activities, then check your answers.

Choose a short recording.

Hard and hardly

Work hard means work with effort. Hardly means almost not; it does not describe strong effort.

She works hard.

I can hardly hear you.

A woman works carefully on a small model with a ruler and diagram.
She works hard.The careful work illustrates effort.

Late and lately

Late means after the expected time. Lately means recently, often with a present-perfect form.

The bus arrived late.

I haven’t seen him lately.

An arrival time or a recent period?

A finished arrivalThe train arrived late yesterday.

Late describes its arrival after the expected time.

A recent periodI haven’t seen him lately.

Lately means recently, in a period reaching up to now.

Late does not mean recently, and lately does not describe a delayed arrival. Choose the meaning first; do not add -ly merely because the sentence needs an adverb.

Near and nearly

Near describes closeness in place. Nearly means almost and can describe a quantity or completed state.

The station is near our house.

I’ve nearly finished.

A woman gathers a report while one final sheet remains to be completed.
I’ve nearly finished.One remaining sheet illustrates close to completion.

Guided practice

Say or write your answer first. Compare form and meaning with the model.

1. Choose: She studies hard/hardly and makes a lot of effort.

Compare a model and explanation

hard

Hard describes effort.

2. Choose: The print is tiny. I can hard/hardly read it.

Compare a model and explanation

hardly

Hardly means almost cannot here.

3. Choose: The train arrived late/lately yesterday.

Compare a model and explanation

late

Late describes the delayed arrival.

4. Choose: I haven’t exercised much late/lately.

Compare a model and explanation

lately

Lately means recently.

5. Correct the intended effort: He works hardly every day.

Compare a model and explanation

He works hard every day.

Hardly would change the meaning to almost not working.

6. Explain: I hardly know him.

Compare a model and explanation

I know him very little.

Do not interpret it as knowing him with effort.

7. Complete: The box is ___ full. Almost, but not completely.

Compare a model and explanation

nearly

Nearly means almost.

8. Contrast location and completion in two sentences.

Compare a model and explanation

The café is near. I’ve nearly finished my coffee.

Use near for place and nearly for almost.

A short conversation

Listen first, then open the transcript when useful.

Open the conversation transcript

A: You’ve been working hard lately.

B: Yes, but I’ve nearly finished the project.

A: You look tired. Did you get home late?

B: Very late. I could hardly keep my eyes open.

Listening checks

Listen to each extract or open its transcript. These three questions have a separate score.

1. Was the speaker making little effort?
Read the listening transcript

I worked hard, but I could hardly finish one page.

2. What does lately mean?
Read the listening transcript

I haven’t seen her lately, but she used to arrive late for every meeting.

3. What does nearly describe?
Read the listening transcript

The station is near, and we’re nearly ready.

Mastery quiz

Choose the best answer for each situation. The score is out of eight.

1. Complete: She trains ___ every day and puts in a lot of effort.
2. Complete: Speak louder; I can ___ hear you.
3. Complete: The flight arrived an hour ___.
4. Complete: Have you seen any good films ___?
5. I hardly know him means what?
6. Complete: The hotel is ___ the station.
7. Complete: The work is ___ complete, but one task remains.
8. Which preserves both effort and recent time?

Use it in your own words

Speaking 1

Describe something you do with effort and something you can barely do.

Reveal a possible response

I work hard on pronunciation. I can hardly hear quiet recordings on the bus.

Success check: Keep hard and hardly distinct.

Speaking 2

Give one late event and one recent-period comment.

Reveal a possible response

The train arrived late yesterday. I haven’t travelled much lately.

Success check: Use late and lately with their different meanings.

Put it all together

Describe a busy week using hard, hardly, late and lately naturally.

Reveal a possible response

I’ve worked hard lately. Yesterday I got home late and could hardly stay awake. I’ve nearly finished now.

Success check: Do not let -ly forms change the intended message.

Take it with you

I can distinguish common adverbs whose meanings change with -ly.

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