Question

9. Read the following sentences carefully and decide which forms are appropriate in the given context: near/ly, hard/ly, late/ly, high/ly, wide/ly. 1) She was standing _____ enough to hear what they were talking about. 2) I listened _____ but couldn’t understand a word. 3) There is _____ any difference between these two methods. 4) Professor Tomas is a _____ regarded mathematician. 5) I’ve been teaching at this University for _____ ten years. 6) His views on tuition fees are _____ known. 7) People over 70 travel _____ on public transport. 8) Information is _____ available on the Internet. 9) The house was built on a hill _____ above the sea. 10) To change the programme at the last minute is _____ impossible. 11) I could _____ understand a word. 12) The company _____ went bankrupt last year, but _____ things have been looking up. 13) Better _____ than never. 14) She lives _____ here. 15) I can’t get the figures right, no matter how _____ I try. 16) At 4 a.m. she was still _____ awake.

Answer 1

1 near 2 near 3 hardly 4 highly 5 nearly 6 widely 7 nearly 8 widely 9 nearly 10 hardly 11 hardly 12 hardly lately 14 late 15 hard 16 hardly

Answer 2

1. She was standing near enough to hear what they were talking about.
2. I listened hardly but couldn’t understand a word. (Note: "hardly" is not the best fit here, it should be "closely" or "carefully" for the intended meaning.)
3. There is hardly any difference between these two methods.
4. Professor Tomas is a highly regarded mathematician.
5. I’ve been teaching at this University for nearly ten years.
6. His views on tuition fees are widely known.
7. People over 70 travel free on public transport. (Note: "freely" is not appropriate here; "free" is the correct word for this context.)
8. Information is widely available on the Internet.
9. The house was built on a hill high above the sea.
10. To change the program at the last minute is nearly impossible.
11. I could hardly understand a word.
12. The company nearly went bankrupt last year, but lately things have been looking up.
13. Better late than never.
14. She lives near here.
15. I can’t get the figures right, no matter how hard I try.
16. At 4 a.m. she was still wide awake.