Near, nearest and next

Near can be used as a preposition, an adjective or an adverb.

When used as an adverb, near is the opposite of far. It means within a short distance in space or time.

• The station is quite near.
• The Christmas holidays are drawing near.
• He lives nearby. OR He lives near at hand.

Near can also be used as a preposition.

• Don’t go near the edge of the parapet. You may fall over it.
• Don’t go near the well.
• It is getting near lunch-time.
• We live near the station.

Near can also be used as an adjective. The adjective near has comparative and superlative forms ending in –er and –est.

• She is a near relative of mine.
• They are our near and dear ones.

Nearer and nearest are generally used with to.

• Who is that little boy sitting nearest to the door?

Nearest and next

Nearest means most near in space.

• Excuse me. Where’s the nearest bus station?

Next means ‘after this / that one’.

• We look forward to your next visit.
• We will get off at the next station.

Almost and nearly

Almost and nearly can be used with similar meanings.

• There were nearly a hundred people.
• There were almost a hundred people.

Nearly is not normally used with non-assertive words like never, nobody, nothing, anything, any etc.

• He will eat almost anything. (NOT He will eat nearly anything.)