Question:easy

Read the sentence below and find out which part contains an error. If there is no error, the answer is "No error".

The sun hadn't hardly (a) set when the mosquitoes began to sting (b) so annoyingly that we had (c) to run off from the playground. (d)

Show Hint

Remember that "hardly" is already negative, so check if it has been paired with another negative word.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • The sun hadn't hardly
  • set when the mosquitoes began to sting
  • so annoyingly that we had
  • to run off from the playground.
Show Solution

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We need to find the part of the sentence about the sunset and mosquitoes that has a grammar error.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Recall that words such as "hardly", "scarcely" and "barely" are already negative, so using another negative word with them creates a double negative error.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The phrase "hadn't hardly" combines the negative "had not" with the already negative "hardly", which is not allowed in standard grammar.
The correct form should simply be "had hardly set", without the extra "not".
The rest of the sentence, describing the mosquitoes stinging and the group running off from the playground, is grammatically correct.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The error is in part (a), "The sun hadn't hardly", since "hardly" should not be combined with another negative word like "hadn't".
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