Complete Grammar Syllabus (145 Units)

Grammar Mastery

Comprehensive reference, real-world IELTS band-boosting tips, clear structural formulas, and interactive short quizzes for intermediate to advanced English learners.

Adjectives & Adverbs: Formation, Hard/Hardly & Word Order

Distinguishing adjectives and adverbs, tricky pairs (good/well, fast/fast, hard/hardly, late/lately), sensory verb complements, and adverb positioning.

Core Structure & Formula

Adjective + Noun: Nadia is a careful analyst.

Verb + Adverb: Nadia analysed the data carefully.

Sensory Verbs + Adjective: look / feel / sound / smell / taste + Adjective (The proposal sounds reasonable)

Hard (= with effort) vs Hardly (= almost not at all)

Late (= not on time) vs Lately (= recently)

Mid-position Adverb Rule: Before single verbs (She always arrives), after auxiliary/be (She is always punctual)

AHard vs. Hardly

'Hard' is both an adjective and an adverb meaning with much effort. 'Hardly' is a negative adverb meaning almost not at all.

•The interns work hard. (with great effort; not work hardly)

•He hardly prepared for the interview. (= he prepared very little, almost not at all)

•I was so exhausted I could hardly concentrate. (= almost impossible to concentrate)

•There's hardly any budget left for this quarter.

BVerbs of Perception + Adjective

Verbs of senses take predicate adjectives, not adverbs.

•You look exhausted. (not look exhaustedly)

•The proposal sounds reasonable. (not sounds reasonably)

•This coffee tastes a bit bitter.

CPosition of Adverbs with the Verb

Adverbs of frequency and certainty (always, usually, probably, also) go before a main verb, but after 'be' or the first auxiliary.

•Rania always cycles to the office.

•You are always punctual.

•I have never visited South America.

•The conference will probably be postponed.

IELTS Band 7–9 Exam Impact

Elevates precision and nuance in IELTS Speaking and Writing, eliminating frequent modifier placement errors.

Common Candidate Errors

✗ He works hardly every day.

✓ He works hard every day.

'Hardly' means 'almost never/almost not'. The adverb for working with effort is 'hard'.

✗ The proposal sounds reasonably.

✓ The proposal sounds reasonable.

Sensory verbs take adjective complements.

Unit 101 Interactive Short Quiz

Test your understanding with 3 verified practice exercises.

Question 1 of 3

I'm tired because I've been revising ______ all week.

Question 2 of 3

The hall was very noisy. I could ______ hear the announcement.

Question 3 of 3

Rania ______ to work.