Half-In

              From a cup of English by Anna, Study notes by MikeNie

      For many months, I have been involved in a renovation project that has extended into at least six months. Thankfully it is almost complete. The original plan was that my mother would move into a refreshed and updated downstairs area, and I would have the upstairs. This is still the plan; however, we have had to proceed in two different stages. My mum has moved in already, but my area upstairs is still quite bare and rudimentary. And by that, I mean exposed plumbing, no carpet, and a fully exposed roof! You would have to be desperate to live in my apartment at the moment, as you can hardly*(1) call it an apartment at all. Thankfully, I have a carpenter who is much more than his job description; he can do just about anything when it comes to constructing a house.He is from Venezuela, so I enjoy speaking Spanish to him. He is very accommodating and diplomatic as well. I seem to keep changing my mind and adding new ideas, and he simply smiles, clarifies what I would like, then nods his head and says, "Esta bien Anna." Very charming. But, gosh, there are a thousand things to think about, double-check, and schedule. Some days other workmen turn up late, or not at all, an ordered part might be delayed, or something breaks. You have to learn to manage your stress when you are up to your neck*(2) in 'stuff'! It reminds me of a man I used to know who was a general contractor, a man who organizes all of the different workmen on a job-site. I asked him once what he did all day, and he replied, "I spend the whole day yelling at people." I wouldn't be cut out for that! So, as you can imagine, I make a trip every day up to my house, visit my mum and have a cup of tea, and then get on with the project upstairs. The days are flying by, and I so look forward to the move in date! Finally, I will be in my newly renovated, little sanctuary. 

1)       'Hardly' is an adverb that means 'barely,' or 'almost not.' It is so useful, and definitely a daily use word. It is often used with 'ever.'  

Ex    1. He hardly ever reads the newspaper, so he doesn't know what is going on.      

2. It was raining so hard while I was driving that I could hardly see. 

Something important to remember about hardly is that it is used to denote frequency or degree. It doesn’t denote intensity. So, you could not use it in the following sentences: He tried hardly to finish his homework. You MUST use 'hard' because we are talking about the intensity of his 'trying'. Therefore, we say: He tried hard to finish his homework. One way to remember this is that 'hardly' means very little, whereas 'hard' means a lot. Another example: He focused hardly through the binoculars. This also is WRONG. You should say: He focused hard through the binoculars.    

2)       'Up to your neck' is used with the verb 'to be', and it means that you are extremely busy, stressed, or preoccupied in some way.         

Ex    1. I am up to my neck in bills this week. I have to make sure I pay them.              

        2. She seems to be up to her neck in problems; I hope she resolves them soon.

a)     Hard  Adjective:形容词 so hard:如此困难；

Denote: intensity强度；with great effort;

It was hard to work in that hot day.

b)    Hardly:  Adverb:副词，Hardly ever:几乎从不，很少；

Denote: frequency or degree频率或程度;

Vocabularies词汇:

Half-In:半完成的项目；A renovation project:一项翻新的项目；

A refreshed and updated downstairs area:一块更新和升级的楼下区域；

Bare:光秃秃的；Rudimentary:未完成的；exposed plumbing:暴露的管道；

No carpet:没有地毯；a fully exposed roof:完全暴露的屋顶；

desperate:极困难的，绝望的；1）hardly ever:几乎从不，很少；a carpenter:木匠；

Venezuela:委内瑞拉；accommodating:乐于助人的；diplomatic:有手腕的；

2）up to your neck:非常忙碌的；a general contractor:一名总承包商；

I wouldn’t be cut out for that:我不会适合的；look forward to :盼望，期待；

Noun:名词；Verb：动词；Adjective:形容词；Adverb:副词；

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