Question

Fill in the blank with the most suitable adverb:

He works very _____ these days.

a) hard

b) hardly

c) scarcely

d) mostly 

Answer 1

Hint:  An adverb is a word that modifies something other than a noun; it is the word class that qualifies verbs or clauses.

Complete answer:

 In the given question, we are supposed to choose from the given options the adverb that describes 'how' he works best i.e. the quality or manner of his work.

Adverbs of manner are those adverbs that are used to tell us the way or how something is done. 

Let us analyze the options given to us in this question:

Option (a.), 'hard', refers to an adverb of manner that describes the manner and quality of ‘his’ work.

Therefore, option (a.) is correct.

Option (b.), ‘hardly', refers to an adverb of manner ending with -ly.

Therefore, option (b.) is incorrect as adverbs ending -ly are usually used before a verb, and not after it. 

Option (c.), ‘scarcely', refers to an adverb of manner ending with -ly.

Therefore, option (c.) is incorrect as adverbs ending -ly are usually used before a verb, and not after it. 

Option (d.), ‘mostly', refers to an adverb of manner ending with -ly.

Therefore, option (d.) is incorrect as adverbs ending -ly are usually used before a verb, and not after it. 

Therefore, the answer is option (a).

Note:  In this question, keep in mind that a sentence would be grammatically incorrect as ‘very’ cannot be followed by these words (scarcely, hardly, mostly).