“Almost” means practically the same thing as “nearly,” and in most cases they are interchangeable. Almost means very nearly but not exactly or entirely. Nearly means almost but not quite, but its primary meaning has more to do with proximity, i.e., in a close manner or relationship.

The difference is that “hardly” means something is true to a degree which is unimportant or insignificant. Basically, you are saying something is true but is no different than if it was not true. “Barely” means almost not true (but is still true).

from English Grammar Today. We use almost and nearly to refer to the progress of things, especially if we are measuring and counting things. In these examples, almost and nearly can both be used: [someone has been running five miles on a running machine in a gym] Don’t give up!

Hardly usually comes after the verb ‘be’ when it is used in simple tenses such as ‘is’ or ‘was’: This was hardly surprising. In writing, you can use hardly at the beginning of a sentence before an auxiliary to say that one thing happens very soon after another thing: Hardly had the rain stopped, when the sun came out.

Which is the correct usage, “hardly did” or “hardly had”? Both are correct and are used under difference contexts. Examples: Hardly had I reached the station when the train left.

When hardly is modifying either the main verb or the following noun, we can put it directly before the verb or before the noun phrase: She hardly had any sleep. or She had hardly any sleep.

Hardly and scarcely can mean ‘almost not at all’ or ‘only just’. Hardly is much more common than scarcely, and scarcely is more formal: Jen was so tired. She could scarcely keep her eyes open.

Hardly sentence example

• I can hardly wait for the fun to begin!
• He hardly knew how it tasted.
• I believe that I have hardly begun yet to know what is possible.
• Hardly had they spoken these words when the door opened and Arion himself stood before them.
• I could hardly believe it.

We cannot use did with hardly as we need to use the past perfect tense for the action taken place earlier and the simple past for the action that took place later. Here he reached earlier and the train left later. We can also say : He had hardly/scarcely reached the station when the train statted.

What is another word for hardly?

scarcely	barely
little	rarely
slightly	ill
narrowly	no
none	noway

: almost never : very seldom we hardly ever see them anymore.

: to be very excited about doing something or eager for something to happen or begin The children can hardly wait for summer.

Can’t Hardly Wait (1998) – Jenna Elfman as The Angel – IMDb.

To have difficulty sleeping. Perhaps because you are excited over something or you are in pain. Example: “the kids can barely sleep because tomorrow we are taking them to Disneyland “

(one) can hardly believe (one’s) eyes One is unable to believe or accept what is happening right in front of one. She could hardly believe her eyes when all of her extended relatives surprised her by coming to our wedding.

Insomnia, the inability to get to sleep or sleep well at night, can be caused by stress, jet lag, a health condition, the medications you take, or even the amount of coffee you drink. Insomnia can also be caused by other sleep disorders or mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

“Can’t hardly” is an example of a double negative—something many writing experts say you should avoid—and it also doesn’t make much sense if you look at it logically. Often double negatives mean the opposite of what you are trying to say.

What is another word for hard to believe?

incredible	unbelievable
unconvincing	unthinkable
implausible	improbable
inconceivable	unimaginable
far-fetched	impossible

What is the opposite of surreal?

ordinary	normal
uneventful	banal
dull	stale
suburban	popular
set	monotonous

Surreal is normally used to describe a feeling of something being beyond imagination. unreal is used more as an adjective.

What is another word for surreal?

strange	odd
bizarre	weird
fantastic	unreal
dreamlike	peculiar
outlandish	queer

Surreal sentence example. He studied the surreal imagery of the situation. She paused to look around again, caught in the surreal sense that everything that happened the past few months hadn’t touched the condo community. However, today I woke up unaided, in the middle of a rather surreal dream.

1 : of, relating to, consisting of, or arranged in a series, rank, or row serial order. 2 : appearing in successive parts or numbers a serial story.

having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic: surreal complexities of the bureaucracy.

Surreal can also mean unbelievable or fantastic. Some people tend to overuse a word/statement. It seems this person has a habit of doing just that.

“Surreal” is often used to describe something shocking. People might use the word when they cannot believe — or do not want to believe — reality. “Surreal” can have a negative or positive meaning. For example, the Grand Canyon or a trip to the Moon could be described as surreal.

As adjectives the difference between unreal and surreal is that unreal is fake; not real while surreal is resembling a dream: fantastic and incongruous.

As adjectives the difference between surreal and bizarre is that surreal is resembling a dream: fantastic and incongruous while bizarre is strangely unconventional in style or appearance.