Words From The Same Family - Hard v Hardly

Hard (adj) 

1. Sth that is not easy to bend, break or cut.

• I didn't get much sleep last night as the hotel bed was as hard as a rock.
• John took the chicken out from the refrigerator over two hours ago but it's still really hard. 

2. Difficult.

• I can only imagine how hard it must be being a single mother of two children.
• Daniel's daughter always complains about Science being a hard subject.

3. Require effort.

• Getting to the top of the hill was hard work but definitely worth it.
• Try giving the door a good hard push and see if it opens.

Hardly (adverb) - barely, almost not.

• The students sitting at the back of the class could hardly hear what the teacher was saying.
• Hannah hardly ate anything today as she was down with a terrible flu.
• The children hardly ever (= almost never) have time to do anything but study when they are preparing for their exams. 

Similes with As - As Sly As A Fox

Meaning - clever, cunning.

• Danny is as sly as a fox. I definitely wouldn't do business with him.
• James always manages to get his brother to do his chores for him. It's no wonder his parents say that he's as sly as a fox. 

Homophones - Plane v Plain

Plane (noun) - a vehicle designed specifically for air travel.

• We were caught in heavy traffic on the way to the airport yesterday. Thankfully, we arrived just in time to catch our plane.  
• I hope to get some rest once we board the plane.

Plain (adj) - with nothing added.

• My relatives have chosen to have plain white walls in the living room.
• It's no wonder Danny always skips dessert. He's used to plain food.