Hardly 和一個否定詞在一起的用法在標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英語中應(yīng)盡量避免, 一些批評學(xué)家一直懷疑象hardly,rarely 和 scarcely 這樣的副詞在傳統(tǒng)的雙重否定的句中應(yīng)被視為否定詞, 這樣的詞使句子象I couldn't hardly see him 和 I didn't get none 一樣被弄糟了, 他們爭論說,畢竟句子Mary hardly laughed 的意思是瑪麗的確笑了, 而不是她沒笑,所以不表示否定的建議.但是hardly 和 scarcely 和其他的否定表示一起在許多方面出現(xiàn), 舉例說,他們和象any 和 at all 這樣獨(dú)特的和否定上下文聯(lián)系的條目組合在一起, 我們說I hardly saw him at all 或 I never saw him at all , 但并不是I occasionally saw him at all；我們說I hardly had any time 或 I didn't have any time但不是I had any time 等. 象其它否定副詞,hardly 在句子開頭時引起主語和助動詞的倒裝, 于是我們說Hardly had I arrived when she left, 和 Never have I read such a book 或 At no time has he condemned the movement. 等同樣的句型. 別的副詞并不用這樣的倒裝：我們不能說Occasionally has he addressed this question 或 To a slight degree have they changed their position . 事實(shí)是象hardly 這樣的副詞語義上是否定的, 他們限定修飾了與不發(fā)生有關(guān)的狀態(tài)或事件.于是hardly 的意思大概是“幾乎根本不”；rarely 的意思大概是“實(shí)際上沒有”；等等.