Hardly for Dummies

Hardly is a word that we use to describe something that happens very rarely or almost never. It can also mean that something is difficult or challenging to do. Let me explain it using a story.

Imagine you have a favorite candy, like a delicious chocolate bar. You love it so much that you want to eat it every day. But you know that eating too much candy is not good for your health, so you decide to only have it occasionally, maybe once a month. In this case, you can say that you hardly eat your favorite candy.

Now, let's think about a different situation. Have you ever tried to solve a really hard puzzle that made you scratch your head and think for a long time? Maybe it was a mathematical problem or a crossword puzzle. These kinds of puzzles can be challenging, and it might take a lot of effort and concentration to find the right answer. So, when we say something is hardly solvable, we mean that it is very difficult to solve.

You can also think of the word "hardly" as being similar to the word "barely." When we say we barely do something, it means we do it just a little bit or almost not at all. For example, if you don't like spicy food and someone gives you a dish with a lot of chili peppers, you might take a very tiny bite and say, "I can hardly taste the spiciness." This means that you can barely sense the spiciness because you only had a tiny bit of the food.

So, to sum it up, "hardly" means that something happens rarely or almost never, or that something is difficult or challenging to do. It's like having a favorite candy and eating it only occasionally, or solving a really tricky puzzle that makes you think deeply. Just like when you barely taste the spiciness of food because you only had a small amount, "hardly" describes situations that occur with very little frequency or effort. I hope this helps you understand what "hardly" means!