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Is there any difference between particularly and in particular?

When should I use each one of them?

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    I'd say they're more or less equivalent; all the sentences I'm thinking of work with either "particularly" and "in particular"... though it'd be "...speaking in particular...", but "...particularly speaking..."
    – user730
    Dec 14, 2010 at 1:25

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"In particular" can be used as a sentential adverb, in the same way that "yesterday" can be.

Particularly can usually be used as a sentential adverb (but "in particular" often sounds better in these situations):

  • In particular, I eat bread at lunch and dinner.
  • Particularly, I eat bread at lunch and dinner. (Works, but "in particular" sounds a bit better)

On the other hand, particularly is used to modify an adjective (or adverb) directly, and "in particular" cannot do this. Compare:

  • I did particularly well on that exam. (Modifying an adjective, "well")
  • *I did in particular well on that exam. (Ungrammatical)
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  • Ah yes, for the service of modifying an adjective or adverb, it sounds off. You'd also sometimes hear "I, in particular, ..."
    – user730
    Dec 14, 2010 at 1:31
  • Or at the end: "I eat bread at lunch and dinner in particular." These are all the sentential uses I am talking about (I feel like there is a better word than "sentential", but in any case, not directly modifying an adjective or adverb).
    – Kosmonaut
    Dec 14, 2010 at 2:01

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