Clearly Confusing: Near vs Close vs Closed

A learner mispronounced the word ‘closed’ in class this week . He pronounced it with 2 syllables and not one. This opened up a discussion about the words near vs close vs closed.

Here is what we came up with.

Pronunciation:

• near: /ˈniɚ/ adverb, adjective or adverb that means at a short distance or time away
• close to: /ˈkloʊs/ adverb or adjective that means at a short distance or time away
• closed: /ˈkloʊzd/ it’s an adjective that means not open
• to close :/ˈkloʊz/ it is a verb that means not open

We also gave examples of how near and close to work in sentences. Near is not followed by  ‘to’:

• He lives close to me.
• He lives near me.
• The airport is near my house.
• The airport is close to my house.

We created sentences using ‘closed’ and ‘to close’:

• The shop is closed today. It is a national holiday. (adjective)
• He asked me to close the window. (verb)

We  compared the use of near and close as adverb & adjective:

• I am nearly finished. (I will finish in a short time)
• He looked at the document closely. (with much needed attention)
• He is a close friend. (a good friend of mine)
• Summer is getting nearer. (we are a short time away )

Read the sentences below. Are they used correctly or incorrectly?

• I am closely finished.
• He looked at the document nearly.

Lem..xo!