6.26 two forms

Sometimes, two adverbs are related to the same adjective, one adverb has the same form as the adjective, and the other is formed by adding '-ly'.

• He closed his eyes tight.
• He closed his eyes tightly.
• They also instituted a legacy which will cost China and its present leadership dear, at home and abroad, for years to come.
• Holes in the road are a menace which costs this country dearly in lost man hours every year.
• The German manufacturer was urging me to cut out the middle man and deal with him direct.
• The trend in recent years has been to deal directly with the supplier.

Here is a list of common adverbs that have both these forms: , clear, clearly, close, closely, dear, dearly, deep, deeply, direct, directly, easy, easily, fine, finely, first, firstly, hard, hardly, high, highly, last, lastly, late, lately, thick, thickly, thin, thinly, tight, tightly

• Note that the '-ly' adverb often has a different meaning from the adverb with the same form as the adjective,

• The river was running high and swiftly.
• I thought highly of the idea.
• He has worked hard.
• Border could hardly make himself heard above the din.
• When the snake strikes, its mouth opens wide.
• Closing dates for applications vary widely.

Note that, with some words that are adverbs and adjectives, the addition of '-ly' forms a new adverb and a new adjective, for example 'dead' and 'deadly', 'low' and 'lowly'.