4.83 Forming negative statements: broad negatives

Another way in which you can make a statement negative is by using a broad negative. Broad negatives are adverbs like 'rarely' and 'seldom' which are used to make a statement almost totally negative.

• The estimated sales will hardly cover the cost of making the film.
• We were scarcely able to move.
• Kuwait lies barely 30 miles from the Iranian coast.

Here is a list of the most common broad negatives:

• barely, hardly, rarely, scarcely, seldom