Hardly 和一个否定词在一起的用法在标准英语中应尽量避免, 一些批评学家一直怀疑象hardly,rarely 和 scarcely 这样的副词在传统的双重否定的句中应被视为否定词, 这样的词使句子象I couldn't hardly see him 和 I didn't get none 一样被弄糟了, 他们争论说,毕竟句子Mary hardly laughed 的意思是玛丽的确笑了, 而不是她没笑,所以不表示否定的建议.但是hardly 和 scarcely 和其他的否定表示一起在许多方面出现, 举例说,他们和象any 和 at all 这样独特的和否定上下文联系的条目组合在一起, 我们说I hardly saw him at all 或 I never saw him at all , 但并不是I occasionally saw him at all；我们说I hardly had any time 或 I didn't have any time但不是I had any time 等. 象其它否定副词,hardly 在句子开头时引起主语和助动词的倒装, 于是我们说Hardly had I arrived when she left, 和 Never have I read such a book 或 At no time has he condemned the movement. 等同样的句型. 别的副词并不用这样的倒装：我们不能说Occasionally has he addressed this question 或 To a slight degree have they changed their position . 事实是象hardly 这样的副词语义上是否定的, 他们限定修饰了与不发生有关的状态或事件.于是hardly 的意思大概是“几乎根本不”；rarely 的意思大概是“实际上没有”；等等.