HARD, HARDLY

INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL

Read and translate the following sentences paying special atten< tion to the words in bold type.

1. Ossie tried very hard not to upset Daniel. 2. He stood on the weighing-machine and looked hard at the arrow. 3. He might have got leave, but Axel, who was working very hard, probably too hard at one of those things that Simon could not understand, would certainly not agree to taking a holiday at the moment. 4. Mrs. Whirtley said that her committee had worked terribly hard and been marvellous. 5. He stared very hard at some cows in a meadow. 6. He squeezed her fingers hard. 7. He could hardly believe what he had heard. 8. When you look at him you can hardly persuade yourself that he’s ever been alive. It’s hard to think that not so very many years ago he was just a little boy. 9. «Are you feeling all right, Rupert? You hardly ate any supper.» «Yes, I feel fine.» 10. I could hardly have been less prudent. 11. «You are right,» he muttered. «I hardly know what I am saying at times.» 12. He had hardly finished speaking when a car was heard to stop outside. 13. She had no difficulty in getting paying guests. Her two spare rooms were hardly ever empty. 14. «You didn’t — stop him?» «How could I? I could hardly use force. I reasoned with him a little.» 15. You irritate him because you hardly ever let him finish a sentence. 16. He gave a glance at the farmer still lying where he had fallen and he could hardly help laughing at his funny face... 17. You have hardly changed at all. 18. «One can hardly ever see what another person is like.» «You mean you can’t see what I’m like?» «No, I can hardly see what Morgan’s like.»