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    Difference Between Almost and Nearly

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    varkriszti
    Almost and nearly have similar meanings in expressing ideas of progress, measurement, or counting. However, nearly can be used with modifiers like very and pretty, while almost cannot. Nearly suggests moving toward a goal, and almost suggests similarity. Nearly is less common in American English and is not typically used before negative words, where almost or hardly would be used instead.

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    Difference Between Almost and Nearly

    Uploaded by

    varkriszti
    191 views1 page
    Almost and nearly have similar meanings in expressing ideas of progress, measurement, or counting. However, nearly can be used with modifiers like very and pretty, while almost cannot. Nearly suggests moving toward a goal, and almost suggests similarity. Nearly is less common in American English and is not typically used before negative words, where almost or hardly would be used instead.

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    almost vs nearly

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    Almost and nearly have similar meanings in expressing ideas of progress, measurement, or counting. However, nearly can be used with modifiers like very and pretty, while almost cannot. Nearly suggests moving toward a goal, and almost suggests similarity. Nearly is less common in American English and is not typically used before negative words, where almost or hardly would be used instead.

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    191 views1 page

    Difference Between Almost and Nearly

    Uploaded by

    varkriszti
    Almost and nearly have similar meanings in expressing ideas of progress, measurement, or counting. However, nearly can be used with modifiers like very and pretty, while almost cannot. Nearly suggests moving toward a goal, and almost suggests similarity. Nearly is less common in American English and is not typically used before negative words, where almost or hardly would be used instead.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Difference between almost and nearly

    Almost and nearly have similar meanings. They are both used to express ideas connected
    with progress, measurement or counting.

    He slipped and almost fell to the ground. OR He slipped and nearly fell to the ground.
    Dinner is almost / nearly ready. (= Dinner will soon be ready.)

    Sometimes almost shows more ‘nearness’ than nearly.

    Compare:

    It is nearly 12 o’clock. (= perhaps 11.45)


    It is almost 12 o’clock. (= perhaps 11.55)

    Differences

    Nearly can be used with very and pretty. Almost cannot be used with very and pretty.

    I have pretty nearly finished. (NOT I have pretty almost finished.)

    Nearly is less common in American English.

    Differences

    Nearly suggests progress towards a goal. Almost suggests ideas such as similarity.

    He is almost like a father to me. (NOT He is nearly like a father to me.)


    She has got a strange accent. She almost sounds foreign.

    Nearly is not normally used before negative words like never, nobody, nothing, any etc.
    Instead we use almost or hardly with ever, anybody, anything etc.

    The speaker said almost nothing. OR The speaker said hardly anything. (= The speaker
    said only a few words of little importance.)

    (NOT The speaker said nearly nothing.)

    Almost nobody came. OR Hardly anybody came. (NOT Nearly nobody came.)

    www.englishpractice.com

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