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Sb70012 Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Hardly some of those kind of books / hardly some of those kinds of books

The shopkeeper has …… of costly books.
a)hardly any of those kinds (Answer Key)
b)hardly some of those kind
c)hardly some of those kinds
d)not hardly any of those kinds

Source: school exam

Hello,
May I know why B and C can not work here? Is this because "hardly some" doesn't exist in English? What's the reason that B and C can not work here?

Thank you.
  

Top answer

"hardly" has negative polarity, so it only works with "any", just as when you say "I do n't have any books". It also means you can't use it with another negative like "not". CJ

— CalifJim

  • "hardly" has negative polarity, so it only works with "any", just as when you say "I do n't have any books".
  • It also means you can't use it with another negative like "not".
  • CJ
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1 Answers
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"hardly" has negative polarity, so it only works with "any", just as when you say "I don't have any books". It also means you can't use it with another negative like "not".

CJ
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