Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - almost

 

 (They sold almost everything.) ~ all  (Almost all the children here speak two languages. | an almost impossible task | wines which are almost as expensive as champagne) ~ certainly  (The cause is almost certainly a virus.)  ( USAGE NOTE: ALMOST WORD CHOICE: ~, nearly, hardly, scarcely, very, extremely Both ~ and nearly can be used before words like all, every, and everybody: Almost/nearly all (of) my friends came to the party (NOT Almost of my friends came... or Almost my friends came...). Both can also be used before negative verbs I almost/nearly didn't get up in time. However, you do not use not with hardly or scarcely: There was scarcely enough time to take a shower. Almost (NOT nearly) can be used before any and negative words like no, nobody, never, and nothing: Almost no one came to the party (NOT Nearly no one...). | You can find the meaning of almost any word here. However, it is more usual to use hardly or scarcely with any, anybody, ever etc than almost with no, nobody, never etc. For example, you are more likely to hear: Hardly anybody came to the party than Almost no one came to the party. You can use not before nearly, but not usually before ~: She's not nearly as pretty as her sister (NOT She's not almost as pretty...). Both nearly and almost can be used with adjectives that have an extreme meaning: nearly/almost perfect/frozen/dead/impossible . However, they are not usually used with other, less extreme, adjectives. In these cases you are more likely to use very or extremely: The schools are extremely good there (NOT nearly good).| The coast was very rocky (NOT almost rocky). Nearly is more commonly used in British English, while almost is more common in American English. )