Crown Academy of English

English lessons and resources




  • Home
  • Online English lessons
  • IELTS online course
  • Articles & lessons
    • Grammar & vocabulary lessons
    • IELTS preparation
    • British culture
    • List of all articles & lessons
  • About
  • Contact
Home > Articles > English lessons > Difference between QUICK, QUICKLY and FAST

Difference between QUICK, QUICKLY and FAST

4th April 2019 by Andrew 2 Comments

What is the difference between “quick“, “quickly” and “fast” in English?

These 3 words are related to speed or time. They are similar but there are a few important differences. Let’s look at each one in more detail.

Quick

“quick” is an English adjective. It gives us more information about a noun (person, place or thing).
Meaning: “quick” describes something that happens in a short time.

Examples:
We had a quick drink before going home.
drinks in bar


Let’s have a quick meeting to discuss recruitment.
Jane gave Mark a quick kiss.

Quickly

“quickly” is an adverb and it therefore gives us more information about a verb.

There are two definitions and uses of “quickly“:

1)  At high speed
Examples:
I don’t understand. You’re talking too quickly.

He’s running quickly.

man running
by stockimages | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

2) After a short time
Examples:
He replied quickly to my letter.
The ambulance arrived quickly after the accident.

ambulance

Fast

“fast” is an adjective and adverb.

Fast as an adjective

As an adjective, the meaning is to describe a noun (something or someone) that moves at high speed.
Example: I have a fast car.

Fast as an adjective

“fast” is an irregular adverb. It describes a verb (action) that is happening at high speed.
Example: He is walking fast.

man walking with travel bag
by Ambro | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Expressions with fast

fast food

fast food

Meaning: “fast food” is food that is prepared at high speed and in a short period of time.
Example: Fast food is bad for your health if you eat too much of it.

fast asleep

fast asleep

Meaning: To be completely asleep.
Example: The baby is fast asleep.

Common mistakes with “fast”

“fast” has the same spelling when it is an adjective and an adverb. We do not say “fastly” when it is an adverb.

Example:
He runs fast. correct
He runs fastly. wrong

We use “quick” to describe something that takes a short time. We do not use “fast” to describe something that takes a short time.

Example:
I had a quick conversation with Jane yesterday.  correct
I had a fast conversation with Jane yesterday.  wrong

More English lessons

English lessons on our Youtube channel
Slang in British English
Use and meaning of “would rather”
Defining relative clauses & relative pronouns
Past perfect tense – English grammar
List of all lessons

English video lesson

Online English lessons and conversation

Comments

  1. Marie says

    10th December 2019 at 7:05 pm

    Well explained.

    Reply
  2. Sonia says

    3rd November 2021 at 4:29 am

    Thank you. 😊

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

English grammar ebook

English grammar ebook

Online English lessons

English lessons with a native English teacher
IELTS online course

Recent articles & lessons

doctor

The difference between practice and practise

4th June 2019

peas on spoon

“a little” and “a few ” to describe quantity

30th May 2019

graduation

Difference between “finally”, “at last”, “lastly” and “in the end”

22nd May 2019

maths symbols

Maths symbols and operations – English vocabulary

8th May 2019

people meeting

BACK as a noun, verb, adjective and adverb

29th April 2019

Online English lessons

English lessons with a native English teacher

IELTS tips

IELTS complete guide

IELTS complete guide (WITH EXAMPLE QUESTIONS)

1st September 2017

Bar Chart

Advice for IELTS writing task 1

19th July 2017

Smiling girl

IELTS speaking advice

18th July 2017

IELTS student Tatjana

How to pass the IELTS with a band 8

9th May 2017

IELTS student Andreea

How to get a band 8 in the IELTS

9th May 2017

Ad





Affiliate disclosure

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Additionally, CrownAcademyEnglish.com participates in other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission from purchases made through our links.

Follow us on social media

Crown Academy of English on YouTube Crown Academy of English on Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · Crown Academy of English · Privacy Policy