Late/Lately

Late and lately are commonly misused.

late = an adjective that means to arrive at a place past the time you had planned to.
lately = an adverb that means in recent times, recently or “These days..”

I was late for the party. / He is never late for class, strange that he is late today.
I haven’t been going out very much lately. / I have been so tired lately.

A: Sorry for being late. Traffic was bad.
B: No worries!* Everybody’s late sometimes.
No worries = no problem, it’s okay.

-I was late for the train so I missed it.
-I haven’t been exercising much lately, I’ve been too busy.

Ask your pen(key)pal/partner the following questions.

Are you usually late or early for appointments and meetings?
Does it bother you when people come to meetings late?
Do you think students should be penalized for being late for class? Why / Why not?
What has been happening in the world lately?
What is new with you lately?
Have you taken up* any new hobbies lately?
What is the biggest problem you’ve been having lately?

take up = started