Next to, Beside, Close to, Near, By

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Hello and welcome to Fransy Fancy English! Let's shed some light on next to, beside, close to, near and by!


Next to / Beside / close to / near / by


Near / Close to (short distance from a person or thing)

Near and close to mean the same thing. They are similar to next to and beside but there is more of a distance between the two things. The big difference is that you cannot use the preposition “to” with near. 

"The receptionist is near the front door."

"We couldn't park the car close to the store."

"Our house is close to a pharmacy."

"This building is near a subway station."


next to / beside

Beside and next to have the same meaning. Beside is more formal than next to. Next to means there is nothing else between the two objects, they could be separated by some space. But they could be a few inches apart or more. Beside means there is no space between the two things, they stick together. If you sit beside someone, you are right next to them. If the town is beside the ocean, it is right next to the ocean.

"Have you seen my phone?" "Yes, they are next to your glasses on the table." (There is nothing between the phone and the glasses.)

"Have you seen my keys?" "Yes, they are beside your glasses on the table." (They were very close together. There is no space between the two things.)

"Come and sit next to me."  (Sit in the very next seat, on one side or the other.)

"Come and sit beside me." (Sit fairly close, possibly touching)

"I parked my car next to the post office."

"There is a shop beside / next to my house."



by/near 

Near means not a large distance away and by means right beside.

"Do you live near here?"

"Your phone is by the window."

"Come and sit by me."

"He lives by the river."



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