Part of Speech:
* Adverb: This is the most common category for "barely." It modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs to indicate a small amount, degree, or extent. Examples:
* "I barely heard the whisper."
* "The room was barely lit."
* "She finished the race barely ahead of the others."
Semantic Category:
* Quantity: "Barely" indicates a very small amount or degree, often close to none at all.
* Degree: It expresses a low level of something.
Grammatical Category:
* Negative Adverb: "Barely" often functions like a negative adverb, suggesting a near absence of something.
Other Considerations:
* Formal vs. Informal: "Barely" can be considered slightly informal, though it's widely used in both formal and informal contexts.
* Synonyms: Words like "scarcely," "hardly," and "almost not" are similar in meaning to "barely."
Ultimately, the category for "barely" depends on the specific context in which it is used.