Authors employ "scarcely" to suggest that something is barely the case or nearly absent, adding nuance to both descriptions and actions. In some works, it conveys a sense of rarity or insufficiency, as in noting that one can "scarcely find any difference of opinion" [1] or that virtually every element is repeated, with "scarcely a bar" unaltered [2]. In other passages, it intensifies the immediacy or incredulity of a moment—characters "could scarcely believe" their actions [3] or events occur with barely a pause, as when "scarcely had the blow descended" [4] or when words are barely finished before interruption [5]. In each instance, "scarcely" serves to heighten the tension or subtlety inherent in the narrative by emphasizing that the action or quality is present only in the slightest measure.