0
Anonymous Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

nearly vs almost

0What exactly is the difference between nearly and almost?02br
02br
00When can one of those 2 be used but not the other?0-
  

Top answer

02br 02br 00 CJ0-

— CalifJim

  • 02br 02br 00 CJ0-
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

6 Answers
0
0 I can't think of a case where 01i00nearly02i00 absolutely can't substitute for 01i00almost02i00, but 01i00almost02i00 is much preferred in general, at least where I live.02br
02br
00 CJ0-
0
0
0 01blockquote
01cite10CalifJim12cite10I can't think of a case where 11i10nearly12i10 absolutely can't substitute for 11i10almost12i10, but 11i10almost12i10 is much preferred in general, at least where I live.12br
12br
10CJ12br
12br
12blockquote
0
0
01. You're almost there.02br
02br
002. You're nearly there.02br
02br
00It seems to me that although these two sentences could equally mean e.g. "you're only 10 yards from the finishing line", "nearly" seems more "encouraging" (i.e. it puts more emphasis on the "nearness").02br
02br
00MrP0-
0
0
what exactly is the difference between almost and nearly
0
0
Hi,

Have you read this thread?

Best wishes, Clive
0
0
This one takes me back to "Newswriting 101." I cannot remember the explanation of why, but my professor would always dock grade points if you used almost instead of nearly when referencing duration.

"Bob has worked at the office for almost 20 years."

"Bob has worked at the office for nearly 20 years."
0

Related Questions