Meaning & use
close comparative and superlative
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
The forms 'closer' and 'closest', used to compare how near or how tight something is.
Grammar: Use these forms when 'close' means near in space, time, or relationship, not when it means shut.
Patterns
- closer to something
- the closest to something
This shop is closer than the one on the corner.
Of all the planets, Mercury is the closest to the sun.
We sat closer to the stage this time.
phrasefixed phrase
A note that the adjective meaning 'shut' has no comparative or superlative forms in normal use.
Grammar: You cannot say 'more closed'; say 'shut' or use 'closed' on its own.
The door is closed, not 'more closed'.
When it means shut, 'close' has no comparative form.
Common combinations
- closer to home
- The problem feels closer to home than we expected.
- the closest thing to
- This is the closest thing to real Italian coffee here.
- get closer
- As we got closer, we could hear the music.
- one of the closest
- She is one of my closest friends.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nearer
- 'Nearer' also compares distance but is more common in British speech than in American English.
- tightest
- Use 'tightest' for fit or closeness of contact, not for physical distance.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: close comparative and superlative or closed?
close comparative and superlative vs closed
'Closed' is the past form of the verb 'close' (to shut); 'closer' is the comparative of the adjective 'close' (near).
Practice
Which sentence uses the comparative of 'close' correctly when it means 'near'?
Choose one answer.
'Closer' is the correct comparative; 'more close' is not used, 'closest' is the superlative and cannot take 'than', and 'closed' means shut.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “close comparative and superlative”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.