hardly

Word family  noun hardship hardness hardiness adjective hard hardened hardy verb harden adverb hard hardly

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++hard·ly /ˈhɑːdli $ ˈhɑːrdli/ ●●● S2 W2 adverb  1  NOTalmost not 几乎不；几乎没有 My parents divorced when I was six, and I hardly knew my father. 我六岁时父母离婚，我对父亲几乎一无所知。 The children were so excited they could hardly speak. 孩子们兴奋得几乎连话都说不出来了。 I can hardly believe it. 这简直让我难以置信。 Hardly anyone (=almost no one) writes to me these days. 如今几乎没有人给我写信了。 Dad ate hardly anything (=almost nothing). 爸爸几乎没吃什么东西。 There was hardly any (=very little) traffic. 路上车少人稀。 She lives in Spain, so we hardly ever (=almost never) see her. 她住在西班牙，所以我们几乎见不到她。hardly a day/week/month etc goes by without/when (=used to say that something happens almost every day, week etc) 几乎每天/每周/每月等都… Hardly a month goes by without another factory closing down. 几乎每个月都会有一家工厂倒闭。2  NOTused to mean ‘not’, when you are suggesting that the person you are speaking to will agree with you 很难说是…，一点也不… It’s hardly surprising that she won’t answer his calls after the way he’s treated her. 他这样对她，她不接他的电话也不奇怪。 You can hardly blame Tom for not waiting. 你不能责怪汤姆没有等你。 My boss could hardly be described as handsome. 我的老板一点也算不上英俊。hardly the time/place/person etc (=a very unsuitable time, place, person etc) 绝不是恰当的时间/地点/人选等 This is hardly the place to discuss the matter. 这里不是讨论这件事的地方。3  JUST/A MOMENT AGOused to say that something has only just happened 刚刚 The building work has hardly begun. 施工才刚刚开始。had hardly ... when/before She had hardly sat down when the phone rang. 她刚坐下电话就响了。5 grammar 语法：hardly, scarcelyScarcely is more formal and literary than hardly. These adverbs come before the verb, unless the verb is a sim ple tense of ‘be’, or after the first auxiliary. scarcely比hardly更为正式，更具有文学色彩。这两个副词要用于动词之前(动词be的一般式除外)，或第一个助动词之后He was so ill he could hardly speak (NOT 不说 he hardly could speak).他病得很重，几乎不能言语 。Do not use hardly or scarcely with a negative word. hardly或scarcely不和表示否定的词连用I can hardly believe (NOT 不说 can’t hardly believe) he said that.我很难相信他那么说过。There’s hardly any milk left (NOT 不说 There’s hardly no milk left).几乎没剩下多少牛奶。When talking about one event being followed closely by another, we usually use hardly or scarcely after ‘had’. 表示一件事紧跟另一件事，一般用had hardly或had scarcelyI had hardly got in the house when the phone rang.我刚进屋电话就响了。In literary writing, it is possible to put hardly or scarcely first, followed by ‘had’ and the subject. 在文学作品中，可以将hardly或scarcely置于句首，后接had和主语Hardly had I got in the house when the phone rang.我刚进屋电话就响了。Do not use hardly as the adverb of hard. The adverb of hard is hard. 不要把hardly当作hard的副词形式来用。hard的副词形式就是hardStudents have to study very hard (NOT 不说 very hardly).学生必须努力学习。I tried hard to remember.我努力记住。n GrammarWord order• Hardly usually comes before a main verb: He hardly said a word.• Hardly comes after the first auxiliary verb: I can hardly believe you said that. 我很难相信他那么说过。We could hardly have known what was going to happen next. ✗Don’t say: I hardly can believe you said that.• Hardly usually comes after the verb ‘be’ when it is used in simple tenses such as ‘is’ or ‘was’: This was hardly surprising.• In writing, you can use hardly at the beginning of a sentence before an auxiliary to say that one thing happens very soon after another thing: Hardly had the rain stopped, when the sun came out. NegativesYou say hardly any: There’s hardly any milk. ✗Don’t say: There’s hardly no milk.  USAGE: Hard, hardlyHardly is not the adverb of hard. The adverb of hard is hard: 不要把hardly当作hard的副词形式来用。hard的副词形式就是hardnI work hard. ✗Don’t say: I work hardly.

Examples from the Corpus

hardly• They only won 1-0 - hardly a great victory!• First off, he decided to attack dueling, which was hardly a threat any longer.• He's hardly a world chess champion - you should be able to beat him.• That may be an arresting statement, but it is hardly an exaggerated description of what they did.• All these similarities could hardly be due to chance.• The day had hardly begun, and he felt exhausted already.• You hardly ever hear of hip-hop guys naming themselves after computer hardware.• With two of the office down with chicken-pox, she hardly had time to think these days, let alone relax.• I hardly know the people I'm working with.• But I hardly like to tell you about the disaster that befell Angela within the next few minutes.• He found he could hardly open his eyes.• At least the socket in the tip of her left forefinger hardly showed.• Women were hardly spared that day, either.• It's hardly surprising he's upset, considering the way you've treated him!• This is hardly the ideal time to buy a house.hardly ever• Universities have hardly ever been held in lower esteem.• Many people think museums make lots of money on big shows, but in truth, they hardly ever break even.• She gave cheap advice and charge mini-mum fees, hardly ever collecting on past due accounts.• You know kids who always do their schoolwork and kids who hardly ever do their class and homework assignments.• The charm of it hardly ever fails.• From that day on Bill and Kath have hardly ever thrown anything away.• Theo's occasional complaints, hardly ever voiced directly, were usually muted and so we fail to take note of them.• I hardly ever write letters any more.hardly the time/place/person etc• But then, with a shrug, he went back inside: this was hardly the time for sneering at pillars.• The Oval is hardly the place for such expressions, but Feeleyand the President had a good relationship.had hardly ... when/before• If you ever walked into it, you could hardly breathe when you went beyond the door.• Poor Susan, she went West with her husband and it was hardly three months before he was killed.• The hung from the rafters and hardly stirred when I walked beneath.• The overall tone is warm and woody - hardly surprising when you consider the sheer mass of wood involved!• They hardly notice when I walk up with the General who has chosen my horse already and his name is Dancing Dan.• They are a small group, hardly viable when the story begins.• They can hardly be surprised when others make use of this representation rather than the narrower and more qualified one.• However, I had hardly got started before I got the first complaint.

hard·ly adverb →n GRAMMAR1 →5 REGISTER1
→USAGE1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable  

not Corpus almost

hardly
hard‧ly S2 W2 /ˈhɑːdli $ ˈhɑːrdli/ adverb1. almost not:
    My parents divorced when I was six, and I hardly knew my father.
    The children were so excited they could hardly speak.
    I can hardly believe it.
    Hardly anyone (=almost no one) writes to me these days.
    Dad ate hardly anything (=almost nothing).
    There was hardly any (=very little) traffic.
    She lives in Spain, so we hardly ever (=almost never) see her.
    hardly a day/week/month etc goes by without/when (=used to say that something happens almost every day, week etc)
    Hardly a month goes by without another factory closing down.
2. used to mean ‘not’, when you are suggesting that the person you are speaking to will agree with you:
    It’s hardly surprising that she won’t answer his calls after the way he’s treated her.
    You can hardly blame Tom for not waiting.
    My boss could hardly be described as handsome.
    hardly the time/place/person etc (=a very unsuitable time, place, person etc)
    This is hardly the place to discuss the matter.
3. used to say that something has only just happened:
    The building work has hardly begun.
    hardly ... when/before
    She had hardly sat down when the phone rang.
     
GRAMMAR
  hardly, scarcely
  Scarcely.is more formal and literary than hardly.
  These adverbs come before the verb, unless the verb is a simple tense of ‘be’, or after the first auxiliary:
  ▪ He was so ill he could hardly speak (NOT he hardly could speak).
  ► Do not use hardly or scarcely with a negative word:
  ▪ I can hardly believe (NOT can’t hardly believe) he said that.
  ▪ There’s hardly any milk left (NOT There’s hardly no milk left).
  When talking about one event being followed closely by another, we usually use hardly or scarcely after ‘had’:
  ▪ I had hardly got in the house when the phone rang. In literary writing, it is possible to put hardly or scarcely first, followed by ‘had’ and the subject:
  ▪ Hardly had I got in the house when the phone rang.
  ► Do not use hardly as the adverb of hard. The adverb of hard is hard:
  ▪ Students have to study very hard (NOT very hardly).
  ▪ I tried hard to remember.

🔑 hard·lyBrE /ˈhɑːdli/ 🔊NAmE /ˈhɑːrdli/ 🔊 adverb🔑 almost no; almost not; almost none 几乎不；几乎没有◆There's hardly any tea left. 没有剩什么茶了。🔊🔊◆Hardly anyone has bothered to reply. 几乎没人开口回答。🔊🔊◆She hardly ever calls me (= almost never). 她几乎从未给我来过电话。🔊🔊◆We hardly know each other. 我们彼此还不大认识呢。🔊🔊◆Hardly a day goes by without my thinking of her (= I think of her almost every day). 我几乎天天想着她。🔊🔊🔑 used especially after 'can' or 'could' and before the main verb, to emphasize that it is difficult to do sth （尤用于 can 或 could 之后，主要动词之前，强调做某事很难）◆I can hardly keep my eyes open (= I'm almost falling asleep). 我困得都快睁不开眼了。🔊🔊◆I could hardly believe it when I read the letter. 读到那封信时，我简直不敢相信。🔊🔊🔑 used to say that sth has just begun, happened, etc. 刚刚；才◆We can't stop for coffee now, we've hardly started. 现在不能停下来喝咖啡，我们刚刚才开始工作呢。🔊🔊◆We had hardly sat down to supper when the phone rang. 我们刚坐下用晚餐，电话就响了。🔊🔊◆(formal) Hardly had she spoken than she regretted it bitterly. 话刚出口，她就后悔不迭。🔊🔊🔑 used to suggest that sth is unlikely or unreasonable or that sb is silly for saying or doing sth （表示不大可能、不合理或愚蠢）◆He is hardly likely to admit he was wrong. 他不大可能承认自己错了。🔊🔊◆It's hardly surprising she was fired; she never did any work. 她被解雇了不足为怪，她从来没干过任何工作。🔊🔊◆It's hardly the time to discuss it now. 现在并不是讨论的时候。🔊🔊◆You can hardly expect her to do it for free. 你不可能指望她无偿地做这事。🔊🔊◆'Couldn't you have just said no?' 'Well, hardly (= of course not), she's my wife's sister.' “你不能就说声不吗？” “喔，不可能，她是我小姨子。”🔊🔊

• The adverb from the adjective hard is hard. 形容词 hard 的副词为 hard：◆I have to work hard today. 今天我得努力工作。◆She has thought very hard about her future plans. 她曾经苦苦思考将来该怎么办。◆It was raining hard outside. 外面雨下得很大。
• Hardly is an adverb meaning 'almost not'. * hardly 为副词，意为几乎不、几乎没有：◆I hardly ever go to concerts. 我很少去听音乐会。◆I can hardly wait for my birthday. 我迫切等待着我的生日。 It cannot be used instead of hard. 该词不能代替 hard：◆I've been working hardly today.◆She has thought very hardly about her future plans.◆It was raining hardly outside.

 ➡ note at hardly

• Hardly, scarcely and barely can all be used to say that something is only just true or possible. They are used with words like any and anyone, with adjectives and verbs, and are often placed between can, could, have, be, etc. and the main part of the verb. * hardly、scarcely 和 barely 均可指刚刚、几乎不，与 any 和 anyone 等词以及形容词和动词连用，常置于 can、could、have、be 等和动词主要成分之间：◆They have sold scarcely any copies of the book. 这书他们几乎没卖出几本。◆I barely recognized her. 我几乎认不出她了。◆His words were barely audible. 他的话勉强听得见。◆I can hardly believe it. 我几乎不敢相信。◆I hardly can believe it.
• Hardly, scarcely and barely are negative words and should not be used with not or other negatives. * hardly、scarcely 和 barely 为否定词，不应与 not 或其他否定词连用：◆I can't hardly believe it.
• You can also use hardly, scarcely and barely to say that one thing happens immediately after another. 亦可用 hardly、scarcely 和 barely 表示刚…就…：◆We had hardly/scarcely/barely sat down at the table, when the phone rang. 我们刚在桌子旁坐下，电话铃就响了。 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. 在正式的书面语中，尤其在文学体中，上述各词可置于句首，然后将主语和动词的位置倒装：◆Hardly/Scarcely had we sat down at the table, when the phone rang. 我们刚在桌子旁坐下，电话铃就响了。 Note that you usually use when in these sentences, not than. You can also use before. 注意：在这类句子中通常用 when 而非 than，亦可用 before：◆I scarcely had time to ring the bell before the door opened. 我刚一按门铃，门就开了。 No sooner can be used in the same way, but is always used with than. * no sooner 与上述词用法相同，但总与 than 连用：◆No sooner had we sat down at the table than the phone rang. 我们刚在桌子旁坐下，电话铃就响了。
• Hardly and scarcely can be used to mean 'almost never', but barely is not used in this way. * hardly 和 scarcely 可表示几乎从不、难得，但 barely 不这样用：◆She hardly (ever) sees her parents these days. 这些日子她难得见到她父母。◆She barely sees her parents these days.