almost
almost — 副詞
1. very close to a particular state or situation, but not completely; nearly, but n
幾乎；將近
接近但未完全達到
very close to a particular state or situation, but not completely; nearly, but not quite.
Yara almost missed the bus because she could not find her keys.
Yara 差點錯過公車，因為她找不到鑰匙。
almost + verb: almost missed
The cookies were almost ready when the doorbell rang.
餅乾快烤好的時候，門鈴響了。
almost + adjective: almost ready
It rained almost every day during their two-week trip to the mountains.
在那山區兩週的旅行中，幾乎每天都在下雨。
Vinícius has almost finished reading the long novel for his book club.
Vinícius 快讀完讀書會那本長篇小說。
Ritu could almost hear her grandmother's voice when she opened the old letter.
Ritu 打開那封舊信時，幾乎能聽見祖母的聲音。
- nearly
Nearly is very similar in meaning but slightly more formal; it is the preferred choice when discussing measurements or numbers (e.g., 'nearly 200 guests').
- practically
Practically is more informal and emphatic; it suggests the difference is so small that it does not matter in everyday terms (e.g., 'practically begging').
- virtually
Virtually is more formal and is used when the difference is considered negligible in technical or objective terms (e.g., 'virtually identical results').
- completely
Completely indicates a full or total state, the opposite of 'almost' which is deliberately incomplete.
文法句型
almost + verb / adjective / adverb / quantifier
用法筆記
In the adverb sense, almost goes directly before the word it modifies — a verb, adjective, adverb, or quantifier. It is especially common with quantifiers such as 'all', 'every', 'any', 'no', and 'nothing' (e.g., almost all, almost every, almost nothing, almost no one). Do not place almost directly before a noun (e.g. 'almost people' is wrong; say 'almost all people').
常見錯誤
almost — 形容詞
- almostpositive
- more almostcomparative
- most almostsuperlative
1. very close to being the thing described by the noun, but falling just short of i
幾近的；差點
幾乎是但還不是
very close to being the thing described by the noun, but falling just short of it in reality.
The team treated their almost victory like a real win, cheering and hugging each other.
球隊把那場差點勝利的比賽當成真正的勝利來慶祝，互相擁抱歡呼。
almost + noun: almost victory
After the storm, the resort was an almost ghost town with only two guests left.
暴風雨過後，那間度假村幾乎成了空城，只剩兩位客人。
Hamza wrote a story about an almost bride who ran away from her own wedding.
Hamza 寫了一篇小說，描述一位差點成為新娘卻在婚禮當天逃婚的女子。
Wei described the mudslide as an almost disaster for the village, since every home was spared.
Wei 描述那場土石流對村莊來說幾乎是一場災難，幸好所有房屋都安然無恙。
- near
Near is broader and more common; it can be used before a noun without the 'nearly but not quite' implication (e.g., 'a near miss' implies closeness; 'a near victory' works like 'an almost victory').
- would-be
Would-be carries a slightly different nuance — it suggests aspiration or intention rather than near-completion (e.g., 'a would-be actor' wants to become one, while 'an almost actor' nearly became one).
文法句型
almost + noun
用法筆記
This adjective use is rarer and almost entirely American English. It appears attributively (before a noun) to describe something that came extremely close to being the thing named but did not fully become it. Common in expressions like 'an almost man' (someone who nearly succeeded at something defining) or 'the almost bride/groom'. Do not confuse with the adverb sense, where almost modifies a verb or adjective.