badly

badly — 副詞

1. to a level where the harm, injury, or damage is heavy and serious

1.副詞A2
釋義

嚴重地

傷害或損害的程度很大

to a level where the harm, injury, or damage is heavy and serious

例句

Nia was badly hurt when her bicycle hit a parked van.

Nia 騎腳踏車撞上一輛停在路邊的廂型車，傷得很嚴重。

badly + past participle (badly hurt)

The old library roof was badly damaged in the storm last night.

舊圖書館的屋頂昨晚在暴風雨中嚴重受損。

badly damaged for physical destruction

同義詞
  • seriously

    very close in meaning; slightly more formal in news writing

  • severely

    stronger; emphasises the harshness of the harm

  • heavily

    common with 'damaged' and 'affected'; suggests a large quantity of damage

反義詞
  • slightly

    the harm is small enough to be ignored

  • lightly

    common with 'injured' or 'wounded'

文法句型

badly + past participle (badly damaged, badly hurt, badly affected)

用法筆記

Almost always pairs with a past participle describing harm (hurt, injured, damaged, burned, affected) or a verb of performance (do, suffer, fare). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about how serious the harm is, not how poorly something was done.

常見錯誤

❌My knee badly hurts.
✅My knee hurts badly.
💡with simple verbs, 'badly' usually follows the verb, not precedes it.
❌The car was bad damaged.
✅The car was badly damaged.
💡use the adverb 'badly' before a past participle, not the adjective 'bad'.

2. while doing an action, showing poor skill, little care, or rude conduct at the m

2.副詞A2
釋義

差勁地

做得不好、技巧差或行為不當

while doing an action, showing poor skill, little care, or rude conduct at the moment it is being performed

例句

Bao sang so badly at the party that the dog hid under the table.

Bao 在派對上唱得很糟糕，連狗都躲到桌子底下。

verb + badly for poor skill

The instructions were written badly, so I built the shelf upside down.

說明書寫得很差，所以我把書架裝反了。

同義詞
  • poorly

    slightly more neutral; common with performance verbs (perform poorly)

  • clumsily

    focuses on physical awkwardness rather than overall quality

  • carelessly

    highlights lack of care, not lack of skill

反義詞
  • well

    the standard opposite for skill or behaviour

  • skilfully

    stresses high level of trained ability

文法句型

verb + badly (sing badly, drive badly, behave badly)

用法筆記

Often follows a verb of action (sing, dance, drive, write, behave). Distinguish from sense 1: here the focus is on the quality of how an action is done, not on harm or damage. Distinguish from sense 4: 'behaved badly' (rude conduct) vs. 'the team did badly' (sense 4, lost the match).

常見錯誤

❌She speaks French badly bad.
✅She speaks French badly.
💡'badly' alone is the adverb; you do not add 'bad'.
❌He plays bad the guitar.
✅He plays the guitar badly.
💡place 'badly' after the object, not between verb and object.

3. very much, used after verbs like want, need, or miss to show that the feeling is

3.副詞A2
釋義

非常；急切地

想要、需要或思念的程度很強

very much, used after verbs like want, need, or miss to show that the feeling is strong

例句

After two days in the desert, the hikers wanted water so badly they cried.

在沙漠裡待了兩天後，登山客非常想喝水，甚至哭了出來。

want + something + badly

Kenji needed the scholarship badly because his family could not afford the tuition.

Kenji 非常需要那筆獎學金，因為他家負擔不起學費。

need + something + badly

同義詞
  • desperately

    stronger; suggests urgency or near-panic

  • very much

    neutral and works with a wider range of verbs

  • really

    informal; common in spoken English (I really want it)

文法句型

want / need / miss + something + badly

用法筆記

Restricted to verbs of desire and need: want, need, miss, crave, long. Cannot replace 'very much' with action verbs (you cannot say 'I love her badly'). Distinguish from sense 1: 'badly hurt' (harm) vs. 'badly want' (intensity of feeling).

常見錯誤

❌I love my dog badly.
✅I love my dog very much.
💡'badly' as an intensifier only works with want, need, miss, and similar verbs.
❌She badly wants the job.' is acceptable, but more natural is
✅She wants the job badly.
💡placement after the object sounds more idiomatic.

4. with a final outcome that is a failure or that leaves the people involved disapp

4.副詞B1
釋義

不順利

結果令人失望或不成功

with a final outcome that is a failure or that leaves the people involved disappointed

例句

The job interview went badly, and Hannah left in tears before lunch.

面試進行得很不順利，Hannah 還沒到中午就哭著離開了。

go badly: an event with a poor outcome

The kitchen renovation turned out badly, with leaking pipes and crooked tiles.

廚房翻修的結果很糟，水管漏水，磁磚也鋪歪了。

turn out badly: a poor final result

同義詞
  • poorly

    very close; slightly more formal in test or business reports

  • unsuccessfully

    more formal; emphasises the failure rather than the disappointment

反義詞
  • well

    the standard positive opposite (the interview went well)

  • successfully

    more formal; emphasises a clear positive outcome

文法句型

do / go / fare / turn out + badly

用法筆記

Subject is usually an event, project, or person being judged on results (interview, exam, business, team). Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 judges how the action was performed at the time; sense 4 judges the final outcome that follows. Often pairs with 'for + person' to show who was disadvantaged.

常見錯誤

❌The match went bad.' (when meaning lost)
✅The match went badly.
💡use 'badly' for outcomes; 'go bad' usually means food spoiling.
❌It ended badly to him.
✅It ended badly for him.
💡use the preposition 'for' to mark the disadvantaged person.