He worked very hardly to pass the exam.
Improve Sentence: Correcting Adverb Usage 'Hardly' vs 'Hard'
The task is to select the best replacement for the word 'hardly' in the sentence: 'He worked very hardly to pass the exam.' The bolded word 'hardly' is used incorrectly in this context, and we need to find the correct adverb to express the intended meaning of significant effort.
Understanding Adverb Meanings
Adverbs are words that describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They often explain how, when, where, or to what extent an action is performed.
The Adverb 'Hardly'
'Hardly' means 'scarcely', 'barely', or 'almost not at all'. It suggests that something happened only to a very small degree.
For example: 'She could hardly breathe due to the smoke.' (Meaning she almost couldn't breathe).
The Adverb 'Hard'
'Hard' can be used as both an adjective and an adverb. As an adverb, it means 'with great effort', 'intensely', or 'diligently'.
For example: 'The team played hard to win the match.' (Meaning they played with great effort).
Analyzing the Sentence Context
The sentence 'He worked very hardly to pass the exam' aims to convey that the subject exerted a significant amount of effort to succeed in the exam. The presence of 'very' emphasizes the degree of effort.
Using 'hardly' would imply the opposite – that he put in minimal or almost no effort ('He worked very scarcely to pass the exam'), which contradicts the goal of passing an exam.
Evaluating the Options
Let's examine each option provided:
| Option | Word | Meaning | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | sincerely | Honestly, genuinely | This word relates to sincerity, not the amount of effort put into work. It does not fit the context. |
| 2 | regularly | At frequent intervals, often | This word refers to frequency or consistency, not the intensity of effort. It doesn't match the sentence's meaning. |
| 3 | hard | With great effort, diligently | This is the correct choice. 'Hard' as an adverb means working with great effort. The phrase 'very hard' is grammatically correct and accurately expresses the intended meaning of significant effort put into passing the exam. |
| 4 | harder | Comparative degree of 'hard' (more effort) | 'Harder' indicates a comparison (e.g., 'He worked harder than his friend'). The original sentence structure 'very harder' is grammatically incorrect. While it relates to effort, 'hard' is the appropriate base adverb needed here. |
Conclusion on Word Choice
The adverb 'hard' is the correct word to replace 'hardly' because it accurately describes the action of working with great effort, which is necessary to pass an exam. The structure 'very hard' is standard English usage.
The corrected sentence reads: 'He worked very hard to pass the exam.'
Important Questions from Adverb
The following sentence has been divided into three segments. One of them may contain an adverbial usage error. Select the option that has the segment with the error. If you don’t find any error, select ‘No error’ as your answer.
Mrs. Arunima / speaks / Telugu well.Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence.
Sarita speaks French best.- Choose the correct option to complete the sentence.
The car remained ____________ at the red light. - Choose the correct option to replace the underlined word/phrase in the following sentence:
The car is moving very fastly on the road. - Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
He speaks English __________ than I do.
