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Barely：仅仅；勉强；几乎不；贫乏地；公开地

例：

You barely got the rest of us here in time.

你勉强能及时把我们其他人带来这里。

Plants in such high temperature are barely breathing.

再这样的高温下，植物几乎不能呼吸。

She is too weak, barely can she stand up.

她太虚弱了，几乎站不起来。

Hardly：几乎不；简直不；刚刚

Hardly when：一…就，刚…就（与No sooner than意思相同）

例：

I hardly recognize you.

我几乎认不出你来。

Hardly had I got to the bus station when it left.

我刚到汽车站，车就离开了。

No sooner had I got to the bus station than the bus left.

我刚到汽车站，车就离开了。

No sooner than用来表示做过的事情，不能用于表示将来要做的事情，hardly和no sooner than放句首，主句均用倒装。

Scarcely：几乎不；简直不；简直没有

例：

I could scarcely breathe.

我几乎喘不过气来。

Scarcely had he come in, when the phone rang.

他刚进来，电话铃声就响了。

Scarcely when 与hardly when意义和用法一样

Merely：仅仅；只不过；只是

例：

You are merely reciting what you have learned by rote.

你只是在背诵自己死记硬背下来的东西。

Don’t be overly dramatizing; he merely brushes against you.

别夸张了，他只不过是碰了你一下而已。

Almost：差不多；几乎

例：

I had been here for almost five years.

我来这里差不多五年了。

Almost no one say no.

几乎没人说不。

Barely表示肯定意义，常与enough、sufficient等连用，如be barely enough：勉强够

Hardly强调几乎不可能，表示否定意义，常与情态动词连用，如could hardly hear：几乎听不见

Scarcely强调频度或数量不够，如scarcely ever opened the window 几乎从未打开过这扇窗

Merely表示肯定意义，如be merely the beginning 仅仅是个开头

Almost表示肯定意义，如almost drop from the table 差一点从桌子上掉下去