bare
- barely
‘bare’
Bare is an adjective. If something is bare, it is not covered or decorated with anything.
The room has bare wooden floors.
If a part of the body is bare, it has no clothing.
Meg's feet were bare.
‘barely’
Barely is an adverb. It has a totally different meaning from bare. You use barely to say that something is only just true or possible. For example, if you can barely do something, you can only just do it. If something is barely noticeable, you can only just notice it.
It was so dark we could barely see.
His whisper was barely audible.
Be careful
Don't use ‘not’ with barely. Don't say, for example, ‘The temperature was not barely above freezing’. You say ‘The temperature was barely above freezing’.
Don't use ‘not’ with barely. Don't say, for example, ‘The temperature was not barely above freezing’. You say ‘The temperature was barely above freezing’.
Be careful
If you use an auxiliary verb or modal with barely, you put the auxiliary verb or modal first. You say, for example, ‘He can barely read’. Don't say ‘He barely can read’.
If you use an auxiliary verb or modal with barely, you put the auxiliary verb or modal first. You say, for example, ‘He can barely read’. Don't say ‘He barely can read’.
The audience could barely hear him.
You can use barely to say that one thing happened immediately after another. For example, you can say ‘We had barely started the meal when Jane arrived’.
Be careful
You use when or before after barely. Don't use ‘than’. Don't say, for example, ‘We had barely started the meal than Jane arrived’.
You use when or before after barely. Don't use ‘than’. Don't say, for example, ‘We had barely started the meal than Jane arrived’.
I had barely arrived before he led me to the interview room.
They had barely sat down when they were told to leave.