seldom
/ˈseldəm/adverb
उच्चारण सेल्डम
शायद ही कभी, बहुत कम, विरले ही
Core wordPYP · asked 6 times
Asked in previous papers
as antonym
+1 more
SSC Exams before 2018- 1
not often; rarely
शायद ही कभी, बहुत कम, विरले ही
- She seldom goes out after dark.
- Seldom have I seen such a beautiful sunset.
- He is seldom, if ever, late.
+ 3 more examples
- We seldom see snow in this part of the country.
- My uncle seldom uses his phone.
- Seldom does a bus arrive here on time.
Synonyms rarely hardly ever infrequently
Opposite often frequently usually
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
seldom + main verb
'Seldom' goes before the main verb but after 'be' and auxiliary verbs, like 'always' and 'never'.
'Seldom' main verb से पहले, पर 'be' और auxiliary verb के बाद आता है, जैसे 'always' और 'never'।
- Radhika seldom eats outside.
- He is seldom late for school.
Seldom + auxiliary + subject (inversion)
At the start of a sentence, 'seldom' causes inversion: auxiliary before subject. This is a favourite exam point.
वाक्य के आरंभ में 'seldom' आने पर inversion होता है: auxiliary, subject से पहले आता है। यह परीक्षा का प्रिय बिंदु है।
- Seldom does it rain in this part of Rajasthan.
- Seldom have I seen such courage.
seldom if ever / seldom or never
The phrase 'seldom, if ever' stresses that something almost never happens.
'Seldom, if ever' इस बात पर ज़ोर देता है कि कोई घटना लगभग कभी नहीं होती।
- He seldom, if ever, takes a holiday.
seldom is already negative
'Seldom' has a negative meaning, so do not add 'not' or 'never' to it.
'Seldom' स्वयं नकारात्मक अर्थ वाला है, इसलिए उसके साथ 'not' या 'never' नहीं लगाते।
- Students seldom fail when they practise daily.
+Collocations 4
seldom + verb
seevisitspeakcomplaingo out
- My grandfather seldom complains about his health.
seldom + if ever
if everor neverif at all
- She seldom, if ever, misses a morning walk.
Seldom + auxiliary
doesdohashaveiswill
- Seldom has the city seen such heavy rain.
adverb + seldom
verysoextremelyall too
- Such honest officers are very seldom found.
“More examples 5
- My uncle seldom travels by air, as he prefers trains.
मेरे चाचा हवाई यात्रा बहुत कम करते हैं, क्योंकि वे रेल को पसंद करते हैं।
- Seldom do students read the instructions carefully.
विद्यार्थी निर्देश शायद ही कभी ध्यान से पढ़ते हैं।
- It seldom snows in Delhi.
दिल्ली में बर्फ़ शायद ही कभी गिरती है।
- Radhika is seldom seen without a book in her hand.
राधिका शायद ही कभी बिना किताब के दिखती है।
- Seldom has a debutant scored a century in his first match.
शायद ही किसी नए खिलाड़ी ने अपने पहले मैच में शतक बनाया हो।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ Seldom he goes to the temple.
✓ Seldom does he go to the temple.
After 'seldom' at the start, use inversion with 'does'.
वाक्य के आरंभ में 'seldom' के बाद 'does' के साथ inversion होता है।
✗ He doesn't seldom come late.
✓ He seldom comes late.
'Seldom' is already negative, so a second negative is wrong.
'Seldom' पहले से नकारात्मक है, इसलिए दूसरा negative गलत है।
✗ She seldom never visits her village.
✓ She seldom visits her village.
Do not use 'seldom' and 'never' together; one is enough.
'Seldom' और 'never' साथ नहीं आते; एक ही पर्याप्त है।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
These adverbs all say that something happens very rarely, with small differences in tone.
ये सभी adverb किसी बात के बहुत कम होने को बताते हैं, पर लहजे में थोड़ा अंतर है।
Rarely; slightly formal and common in written English.
बहुत कम; थोड़ा औपचारिक और लिखित अंग्रेज़ी में आम।
- Seldom do we get such offers.
hardly ever
Almost never; spoken and informal.
लगभग कभी नहीं; बोलचाल का और अनौपचारिक।
- I hardly ever watch television.
≈Synonyms and antonyms
AaSpelling
sel·dom
?Which word?
seldom: negative adverb rules
Seldom is negative in meaning, so three rules follow: the question tag is positive ('He seldom writes, does he?'); do not add 'ever' ('seldom ever' is loose; say 'seldom, if ever'); and when it begins a sentence the verb is inverted ('Seldom does she complain'). The same rules apply to rarely, hardly, scarcely and never.
Seldom negative अर्थ का है, इसलिए तीन नियम लागू होते हैं: question tag positive होता है ('He seldom writes, does he?'); 'ever' न जोड़िए ('seldom ever' ढीला है; 'seldom, if ever' कहिए); और वाक्य की शुरुआत में होने पर verb उलट जाता है ('Seldom does she complain')। यही नियम rarely, hardly, scarcely और never पर लागू होते हैं।
§Grammar and usage
Positive tag after seldom; inversion after sentence-initial seldom; 'seldom ever' avoided, 'seldom or never' and 'seldom, if ever' correct.
यह बहुत पूछा जाता है: seldom के बाद positive tag; वाक्य की शुरुआत में seldom के बाद inversion; 'seldom ever' से बचिए, 'seldom or never' और 'seldom, if ever' सही हैं।