2020-11-12
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด N – near – nearly - almost
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ที่ถือว่า ถูกต้องนี้ เป็นไปตามมาตรฐานการใช้ภาษา
การใช้คำอังกฤษ ไม่กำหนดมาตฐาน ถือตามส่วนใหญ่ที่ใช้แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจยืดหยุ่น ขึ้นอยู่กับ ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง near = ‘NEER’
ออกเสียง nearly = ‘NEER-lee’
ออกเสียง almost = ‘AWL-mohst’ or ‘awl-MOHST’
Dictionary.com
SYNONYM STUDY FOR ALMOST
Almost, most, nearly, well-nigh
all mean within a small degree of or short space of.
Almost implies very little short of: almost exhausted; almost home.
Most is colloquial for almost.
Nearly implies a slightly greaterdistance or degree than almost :
nearly well; nearly to the city.
Well-nigh, a more literary word, implies a barely appreciable distance or extent: well-nigh forgotten; well-nigh home.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
Almost – nearly
1. when you can use 'almost' or 'nearly'
Almost and nearly both mean 'not completely' or 'not quite'.
They can be used in front of adjectives or noun phrases, or with verbs.
Dinner is almost ready.
We're nearly ready now.
I spent almost a month in China.
He worked there for nearly five years.
Jenny almost fainted.
He nearly died.
Almost and nearly can also be used in front of some-time adverbials
such as every morning and every day,
and in front of some place adverbials such as there.
We go swimming almost every evening.
I drive to work nearly every day.
We are almost there.
I think we are nearly there.
If it is almost or nearly a particular time, it will be that time soon.
It was almost 10 p.m.
It's nearly dinner-time.
2. when you use 'almost'
Don't use 'nearly' in front of adverbs ending in '-ly'.
You should use almost in front of these adverbs.
She said it almost angrily.
Your boss is almost certainly there.
You can say that one thing is almost like another.
Don't say that one thing is 'nearly like' another.
It made me feel almost like a mother.
You can use almost in front of negative words
such as never, no, none, no-one, nothing, and nowhere.
He almost never visits.
She speaks almost no English.
Don't use 'nearly' in front of negative words like these.
3. when you use 'nearly'
You can use nearly after not to emphasize a negative statement.
For example,
instead of saying 'The room is not big enough',
you can say 'The room is not nearly big enough'.
It's not nearly as nice.
We don't do nearly enough to help.
Don't use 'almost' after not like this.
You can use very or so in front of nearly.
We were very nearly at the end of our journey.
She so nearly won the championship.
Don't use 'almost' with very or so.
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression
near – nearly – almost
Near is used as an adverb (come near me),
as an adjective (the near side of the moon),
as a preposition (near the house), and as a verb (the train nears the station).
Nearly is an adverb only, with such meanings
as “almost,” “all about,” “intimately,” “with close agreement”; “nearly sick with fear”; “a nearly perfect evening”: “nearlyrelated persons.”
As an adverb, nearly is usually preferableto near
except when place is involved:
“I was nearly sick with a cold (not near sick).”
“I was sitting near (not nearly you).”
Nearly and almost
Some linguists have tried to distinguish between these words
by suggesting that
nearly applies to time, space, or quantity (nearly midnight, nearly at his destination, nearly enough money) and almost to degree (almost nothing, almost dead),
This distinction hardly seems worthwhile; in the illustrations given here, almost and nearly are interchangeable.
If you wish to think of nearly as a “minus” word subtracting from an idea, all right, but the difference seems too subtle for ordinary common sense.
It is true, however, that in referring to one’s state of mind or feeling, almost is preferable.
One is almost afraid to do something, not nearly afraid.
