hardly before

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "hardly before" is not commonly used in written English and may sound awkward or incorrect in many contexts.
It can be used to indicate that something happened very shortly after another event, but it is often better to use more standard expressions. Example: "She had hardly before finished her speech when the audience erupted in applause."

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

But hardly before Mr. Bush's motorcade arrived in downtown Moscow, Russia's foreign minister, Igor Ivanov, was on state-controlled ORT television, dismissing the charges.

The New York Times

Adebayor was liked well enough in his first brilliant season in the wake of Thierry Henry but then, hardly before that affection could be properly cemented, he was flirting most publicly with Milan.

Independent

The first evidence of that brightness everyone had told me about was that she had figured out, hardly before I had opened my mouth, that the first thing I'd want to talk about was another of her offspring, the large black-and-glass one five minutes' walk from her ministry.

Independent

"Suddenly" may be a strange word to use, considering that the N.H.L. playoffs have by now been grinding on for almost two months, but it does seem that this highly (though perhaps not widely-highly) anticipated Stanley Cup final series between the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings is just about over hardly before it even began.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Thanks to the recession, "we managed to get the locations we could hardly find before".

The New York Times - Food

At the same time, Beyoncé Knowles's Deena, whom we had hardly noticed before, moves into the center of the movie.

The New Yorker

It is strictly observational, bent on exploring places where humans have hardly been before -- which turns out to be a surprisingly big chunk of the earth.

The New York Times - Arts

Hardly ever before have I found work as diverse as it is in public relations.

Science Magazine

The term 'photo opportunity,' hardly used before, became known".

Vice

Consistent with this, XacFhaB expression in wild type bacteria recovered from infected leaves was induced after this time and hardly detected before (see above).

Plosone

These two factors seemed to be independently associated with SROH, because coefficients of the other covariates in the multivariate model hardly changed before and after adding the childhood poverty variables to the multivariate model.

BMJ Open

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider replacing "hardly before" with more common alternatives such as "barely before" or "scarcely before" to improve clarity and flow in your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "hardly before" when you mean something happened a considerable time before. This phrase implies a very short interval between two events.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "hardly before" functions as an adverbial modifier, indicating the temporal relationship between two events. It specifies that one event occurred shortly after another. Ludwig's examples showcase this function in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Science

12%

Academia

12%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "hardly before" is a phrase used to indicate that something happened very shortly after another event. While grammatically acceptable, Ludwig AI indicates it's not the most common choice, with alternatives like "barely before" or "scarcely before" often preferred for improved clarity. It functions as an adverbial modifier, emphasizing the close succession of events, and is generally considered appropriate for neutral contexts, particularly in news and media. The phrase's infrequency suggests considering alternatives for clearer communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

scarcely before

Replaces "hardly" with "scarcely", maintaining a similar sense of immediacy.

barely before

Substitutes "hardly" with "barely", conveying a close temporal succession.

just before

Replaces "hardly" with "just", suggesting an event happened immediately prior.

shortly before

Emphasizes the brief interval separating two events.

soon before

Indicates that an event happened in the near past before another one.

immediately prior to

Formal alternative that clearly indicates temporal precedence.

almost immediately before

Adds emphasis to the near simultaneity of the events.

virtually before

Replaces "hardly" with "virtually", suggesting a close temporal succession.

practically before

Replaces "hardly" with "practically", suggesting a close temporal succession.

infrequently before

Replaces "hardly" with "infrequently", suggesting that an event was rare until immediately before.

FAQs

What does "hardly before" mean?

The phrase "hardly before" means that something happened very shortly after something else. It indicates that the time between two events was minimal.

What can I say instead of "hardly before"?

You can use alternatives like "scarcely before", "barely before", or "just before" depending on the context.

Is "hardly before" grammatically correct?

While not incorrect, "hardly before" is not as common as alternatives like "scarcely before" or "barely before". Using these alternatives will likely improve clarity.

Which is correct, "hardly before" or "rarely before"?

The phrase "hardly before" indicates a temporal relationship, while "rarely before" suggests something infrequently occurred until a certain point. Their correctness depends on the intended meaning.