Confusing words in English: Fast, Quick or Quickly

FAST vs. QUICK vs. QUICKLY

In this lesson, we are going to focus on fast, quick and quickly and how to use them correctly. 

FAST

Fast is both an adjective and an adverb. 

Fast is often used when you are talking about the speed that somebody or something moves at. 

Examples: 

• It is frustrating to learn English by watching movies because people there speak too fast. 
• The cheetah is the world's fastest land animal. Its land speed is between 112 and 120 km/h. 
• Who is the fastest man on Earth? 
• Becoming a fast runner requires both dedication and plenty of relevant and consistent practice. 
• He can run very fast. 
• What makes a runner fast? 
• You're driving too fast. 
• Can't you drive any faster? OR Can you drive faster, please? 
• fast car / train / pace / lane 
• a fast paced life (fast paced = happening very quickly) 
• New York consistently ranks in the top ten fastest cities in the world. 
• Living in a crowded and fast-paced city is becoming more and more stressful. 
• life in the fast lane (= a way of living that is full of excitement, activity, and often danger) 
• Parties and friends - he was living life in the fast lane. 

Fast is also used if your watch or clock shows a time later than the real time. 

Examples: 

• I'm early - my watch must be fast. 
• That clock is ten minutes fast. 

Remember: 
There is no word 'fastly'. 

Use the word fast as an adjective and an adverb. 

Note: 
Fast food, for example, refers to food such as hamburgers, which are cooked and served in a very short time in restaurants. 


QUICK 

Quick is an adjective and the adverb form is quickly. 

quick - adjective 
quickly - adverb 

Quick refers to something happening in a short time or shorter than expected. 

Examples: 

• quick glance / look / reply / decision / way 
• This dessert is very quick and easy to make. 
• It's quicker to go there by car. 
• Are you sure this is the quickest way? 
• Have you finished your dinner already? That was quick! 
• I'm hungry. Let's go somewhere and have a quick snack. 
• I need a quick answer. 
• Thank you for your quick reply. 

Quick is used when something is happening very soon or without delay. 

Examples: 

• We need to make a quick decision. 
• The company wants quick results. 

Quick refers to moving or doing something fast. 

Examples: 

• You're such a quick learner. OR You're such a fast learner. 
• My teacher was so quick to point out the mistakes I had made. 
• He's a quick study. (= he learns quickly) (North American English, Informal) 

Note: 
Quick is sometimes used as an adverb in very informal language. 

Examples: 

• You got here real quick. (adverb, informal language) 
• Come on! Quick! They'll see us!  

QUICKLY 

Quickly is an adverb. 

Quickly is used when something is done at a fast speed. 

Examples: 

• We don't have much time. We'll have to walk quickly to get there on time. 
• Our holiday was too short. The time passed so quickly. 
• We'll repair your phone as quickly as possible. 
• I was really nervous during the exam. My heart started to beat more quickly. 
• You don't need to eat so quickly. We're not in a hurry. 

Quickly is used when something is done after a short time. 

Examples: 

• ​My friend replies to my messages really quickly. 
• I quickly realised that I was on the wrong train. 

Both adverbs are correct: 
talk fast / quickly 
speak fast / quickly 


Exercise 

Complete the sentences with fast, quick and quickly in the correct forms. 

1. We're living ................, but are we living better? 
2. People in cities around the world walk 10% more ................ than they did twenty years ago. 
3. Music can help amateur runners run ................. 
4. Singapore is top of the list for ................ walkers. 
5. Our cars are ................ than they used to be, but the traffic in big cities is worse, so we drive more slowly. 
6. How ................ is your life? 
7. Do people tell you that you talk too ................? 
8. Don't walk so ................! Can't you walk more slowly? 
9. The last two weeks of our summer holiday have gone so ................. 
10. The ................ train to London takes less than an hour. 
11. The police car was going so ................, it must have been chasing someone. 
12. Can we have a ................ chat before the meeting? 
13. We need to make a decision as ................ as possible. 
14. I prefer to order food online because of the ................ delivery service. 
15. Nowadays, we do everything ................ than years ago. 

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Answers: 
1. faster; 2. quickly; 3. faster; 4. fast; 5. faster; 6. fast; 7. fast / quickly; 8. fast / quickly; 9. fast / quickly; 10. fast; 11. fast; 12. quick; 13. quickly; 14. fast / quick; 15. more quickly / faster;