can hardly be vs can be hardly

The correct phrase is "can hardly be." The adverb "hardly" should come before the main verb "be" in this construction. "Can be hardly" is not a common or correct way to express this idea.

Last updated: April 10, 2024 • 289 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"can hardly be"

This phrase is used to express that something is difficult or almost impossible to do or achieve.

Examples:

He can hardly be blamed for the mistake.
The task can hardly be completed on time.
She can hardly be expected to know everything.
It can hardly be denied that he is talented.
The truth can hardly be disputed.

Show examples from the web [+]

It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”
Denver Broncos tight end Albert Okwuegbunam can hardly be caught on 64-yard dash.
... but at present the unsettled area has been so broken into by isolated bodies of settlement that there can hardly be said to be a frontier line.".
Writing for the majority, Justice Abe Fortas stated that it “can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to ...
A primitive society can hardly be expected to show the intelligent appreciation of the complexity of business interests in a developed society.
5 days ago ... Now the field is rapidly evolving, which means that this article can hardly be more than a snapshot of the knowledge as of 2001.

This phrase is not correct in English. The adverb "hardly" should precede the main verb.

"can be hardly"

Show examples from the web [+]

Large companies and research institutes generate software architectures for very specific uses. However, these can be hardly adopted for other purposes and uses ...
Sep 27, 2017 ... ... LCE-based active micropillar arrays through robust imprint lithography, which can be hardly achieved using the LCE prepared previously.
May 13, 2022 ... ... next big thing' or the marketability is overestimated due to 'empty promises of 'techies' for unsolved problems' can be hardly answered.
Sep 15, 2009 ... However, the difference of the conductivity among them can be hardly observed above 100 degrees C. The fuel cell with membrane electrode ...
Jun 20, 2018 ... This phenomenon is a consequence of the increased amount of materials that can be hardly decomposed in the wastewater inlet with an elevated ...
... RNA regulatory elements present motifs, conserved both in structure and sequence, that can be hardly detected by primary sequence analysis alone.
Feb 21, 2020 ... ... each domain and application presents unique features that can be hardly established, and imposed, in a top-down manner.
Consequently, the most precise STR DNA typing technique is nullified and definite opinion can be hardly given with degraded forensic exhibits.

Alternatives:

can barely be
can scarcely be
can almost not be
can be difficult to
can be nearly impossible to

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can hardly be vs can be hardly

"can hardly be"

"can be hardly"

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