Confusing words in English: Slow or Slowly

​SLOW vs. SLOWLY

In this lesson, we are going to focus on slow and slowly and how to use them correctly. 

If you find it difficult to decide which one to use, please go ahead and read our lesson. Don't forget to check your knowledge by doing the exercise at the end of the lesson. 

SLOW 

Slow can be used as an adjective, an adverb and a verb.
We will focus on the word 'slow' as an adjective and an adverb. 


SLOW as an adjective

Slow means not moving, acting or done quickly. It usually takes a long time and it is not fast. 

Examples: 

• You are such a slow driver. Can't you drive any faster? [Can you drive faster, please?] 
• My sister is a very slow eater. She is always the last person to finish her meal. 
• I'm such a slow reader. It usually takes me forever to read a book. 
• a slow runner / driver / reader / eater 
• The country is experiencing slow economic growth. 
• Building trust in your business is a slow process. 
• Business is always slow during this time of the year because everyone's on holiday. 
• You're so slow. Come on, hurry up! 
• I missed the fast train and I had to get the slow one. (= The one that stops at all stations.) 

A person might be described as slow if they are not very clever and do not understand, notice or learn things quickly. 

Example: 

• She's the slowest in the class. 

Slow is also used if your watch or clock shows a time earlier than the real time. 

Examples: 

• My watch is five minutes slow. (= It shows 1:55 p.m. when it is 2:00 p.m.) 
• That clock is ten minutes slow. 

​
SLOW as an adverb 

It is used in comparative and superlative forms or in compounds, and it means that something is moving or is done at a slow speed. 

slow - slower - the slowest 

Examples: 

• I can't walk any slower. 
• The traffic is moving so slow. I won't be there on time. 
• He drives too slow! (North American English) 

SLOWLY 

Slowly is an adverb. 

Slowly means that something is done at a low speed. 

Examples: 

• When you can't understand what people are saying, you can ask them to speak more slowly. 
• Can you speak more slowly, please? 
• You are eating too fast. That's not good for your health. You should eat more slowly so that you can digest food better. 
• You have to drive slowly on these narrow country roads. 

Exercise 

Complete the sentences with slow or slowly. If necessary, use a comparative form. 

1. The country's economic growth is ................ than expected. 
2. I'm glad we are already here. It was a painfully ................ journey. 
3. The city is ................ getting back to normal after a five-day transport strike. 
4. Our progress has been fairly ................ so far. We still have a lot more to do in the next couple of weeks. 
5. My health is ................ getting better.
6. Sorry, can you speak ................? My English isn't very good. 
7. Why is my Internet so ................? 
​8. If the Firefox browser is running ................, click the Refresh button. 
9. When you eat ................, you digest better. 
10. The benefits of ................ eating include better digestion, better hydration, easier weight loss and greater satisfaction with our meals. 


Answers: 
1. slower; 2. slow; 3. slowly; 4. slow; 5. slowly; 6. slowly; 7. slow; 8. slow; 9. slowly; 10. slow;