Level: B2-C1

Tricky -ly Pairs — Practice

Some adverbs come in pairs where the -ly form has a completely different meaning from the base word. hard means “with effort” but hardly means “almost not”! Practice 6 essential pairs (hard/hardly, late/lately, near/nearly, high/highly, deep/deeply, wide/widely) in 42 ESL examples.

📝 Adverbs unit · lesson 10 of 11 ⏱ about 9 minutes 🔊 every example has audio

Builds on Adverb Formation Next in unit Adjective or Adverb? →

The tricky pairs — reference table

For these pairs, the -ly form is not the “more adverb-y” version of the base — it’s a separate adverb with a totally different meaning. Choose carefully.

Word	Meaning	Example
hard	with a lot of effort	She works hard.
hardly	almost not / barely	She hardly works.
late	not on time	He arrived late.
lately	recently	I haven’t seen him lately.
near	close (in space)	Don’t come near!
nearly	almost	He nearly fell.
high	at a great height	Birds fly high.
highly	very, to a great degree	She is highly intelligent.
deep	far down (physically)	Dig deep.
deeply	profoundly, emotionally	I am deeply sorry.
wide	fully open	Open wide!
widely	in many places	It is widely known.

📖 Want the full explanation with more rules on adverb formation? See English Adverbs → Adverb formation on the main grammar page.

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hard (with effort) vs hardly (almost not)
She works hard at her job. – with effort
She hardly works at her job. – almost not
He hit the ball hard. – with effort
He hardly hit the ball. – almost not
They train hard every day. – with effort
I can hardly believe it. – almost not
She studies hard for exams. – with effort
He hardly spoke during the meeting. – almost not
late (not on time) vs lately (recently)
He arrived late to class. – not on time
I have not seen him lately. – recently
Do not be late! – not on time
She has been very busy lately. – recently
The train was 10 minutes late. – not on time
We have not talked lately. – recently
He came home late last night. – not on time
What have you been up to lately? – recently
near (close in space) vs nearly (almost)
Do not come near the fire! – close by
He nearly fell off the bike. – almost
The cat sat near the window. – close by
I nearly finished the book. – almost
We live near the school. – close by
She was nearly in tears. – almost
Stand near the door. – close by
It is nearly midnight. – almost
high (great height) vs highly (very, to a great degree)
The plane flew high above the clouds. – at a great height
She is highly intelligent. – very much
Birds fly high in the sky. – at a great height
He is a highly respected doctor. – very much
Do not jump too high. – at a great height
The book is highly recommended. – very much
deep (far down) vs deeply (profoundly)
The fish swim deep in the ocean. – far down
I am deeply sorry for your loss. – profoundly
Dig deep to find the treasure. – far down
She felt deeply hurt by his words. – profoundly
The roots go deep into the soil. – far down
He deeply regrets his decision. – profoundly
wide (fully open) vs widely (in many places)
Open your mouth wide. – fully open
The book is widely read around the world. – in many places
She opened her eyes wide. – fully open
The product is widely available. – in many places
The door swung wide open. – fully open
The author is widely respected. – in many places

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