Tone down these bold assertions with ‘hardly’.
Each of these statements is a little too strong. Tone them down by adding the words almost or hardly, and making any other changes you think necessary.
IHe never misses a chance. IINobody could hear him. IIIThere’s nowhere to park. IVThere’s nothing he wouldn’t do. VHe won without breaking a sweat. VIThe engine is completely silent.
See also Never say ‘What, never?’ again.
The word ‘hardly’ is used to mean ‘true, but only to an insignificant degree’ e.g. ‘I can hardly [only just] believe my eyes’, ‘I’d hardly [only just] sat down to lunch when the doorbell rang’.
For Example
I cannot keep my hands warm.
I can hardly [only just] keep my hands warm.
Jane Austen
My fingers are numb with cold.
My fingers are so cold I can hardly [only just] feel them.
Developed from an exercise in Straightforward English (1949) by NL Clay.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.
