Difference between hard and hardly? Is hardly an adverb? [Duplicate]
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Hardly is a quantifier, a negative. He hardly touched his food means that he ate very little of it, much less than normal or expected. Hard is an adjective with two meanings -- 'solid' and 'difficult'. Hard is also the adverb that goes with the 'difficult' sense: He's taking it hard. – John Lawler Jul 21 '14 at 18:18
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There is another (pragmatic) usage, giving a comment on the unlikelihood of an event: 'He will hardly pay for a painting he knows to be fake.' [modal adverbial at sentential level] – Edwin Ashworth Jul 21 '14 at 21:00