Expressions with HARD Quiz

You can do this quiz online or print it on paper. It tests comprehension of common English expressions that include the word HARD.

For each question, read the sentence and choose the answer with the closest meaning to the words in italics.

1. Manny was angry with the judges who cheated him, but he had no hard feelings against the other boxer.

no forgiveness
no angry resentment
no feelings of shame
a) no forgiveness b) no angry resentment c) no feelings of shame

2. Many people find the novels of James Joyce hard going because of his style.

difficult or tiring
very upsetting
fast-moving
a) difficult or tiring b) very upsetting c) fast-moving

3. When new workers come in, the older workers give them a hard time.

have fun with them
give them orders
mistreat them
a) have fun with them b) give them orders c) mistreat them

4. If I'm hard up, I can get free meals from the charity people.

homeless
short of food
short of money
a) homeless b) short of food c) short of money

5. Some people have to learn the hard way.

learn by studying hard
learn by making mistakes
learn from others' mistakes
a) learn by studying hard b) learn by making mistakes c) learn from others' mistakes

6. If you put in the hard yards now, you could be a great athlete one day.

make the necessary effort
stop wasting your time
work hard and get rich
a) make the necessary effort b) stop wasting your time c) work hard and get rich

7. Doing too much exercise can be hard on your joints, especially the knees.

strengthen
damage
harden
a) strengthen b) damage c) harden

8. You can tell if someone's hard of hearing by checking their TV's volume.

totally deaf
able to hear well
unable to hear well
a) totally deaf b) able to hear well c) unable to hear well

9. Jason is a hard act to follow when we're telling stories. His are incredible.

hard to beat
hard to imitate
hard to understand
a) hard to beat b) hard to imitate c) hard to understand

10. Most countries have hard and fast rules when it comes to immigration.

fair and flexible
fixed and inflexible
complex and confusing
a) fair and flexible b) fixed and inflexible c) complex and confusing

Your score is:

Correct answers:

Contributor: Matt Errey. Matt is the author of several books including 1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context and Common English Idioms for learners, and Matt's ESL Games and Quizzes for teachers.