ahava_yin  +  683586 Fri, 06 Mar 09 03:34 AM Hi, I came across the following sentence which is kind of tricky to me.  The patient’s progress was very encouraging as he could __________ get out of the bed without help. I think "nearly" conveys the positive meaning that the sentence needs. But it's said "nearly" can not follow "could". How would you say? Thank you! ahava_yin Joined on Thu, Sep 9 2004 Full Member 335 Hi, I'm learning English. Your notes help me a lot. I love the forum. Sentences

	CalifJim  +  683590 Fri, 06 Mar 09 03:44 AM If this is a test item, maybe they wanted you to use almost instead of nearly.  almost sounds better to me, but I'm not aware of any rule such as the one you mentioned. CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,389 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

	ahava_yin  +  683601 Fri, 06 Mar 09 05:14 AM Thank you CalifJim. Yes, it is an item from a test. The four choices include, nearly, hardly, barely and merely. So, can I say, "nearly" would be the best choice among the four, though it would not be as perfect as "almost" would be in that sentence? It's safe to say "could nearly...", isn't it? Thank you again!  ahava_yin Sentences

	CalifJim  +  683612 Fri, 06 Mar 09 06:49 AM ahava_yin “So, can I say, "nearly" would be the best choice among the four, though it would not be as perfect as "almost" would be in that sentence? It's safe to say "could nearly...", isn't it?” Yes, that's right.  CJ CalifJim

	Jeannie1  +  683644 Fri, 06 Mar 09 09:13 AM If the patient was poorly you would use "barely" , meaning the patient was so bad that he/she almost could not get out of bed without help.  However, in this example, we are told that the patient is improving, so I think "nearly"  is the best of the four.  The other options are not positive enough. Jeannie1 Joined on Mon, Jan 26 2009 Full Member 159