Near vs. nearby

[Gilda]

Test No. incompl/elem-1 "Speaking already", question 4

We live ......... the city centre.

(a) near
(b) next
(c) by
(d) nearby

Test No. incompl/elem-1 "Speaking already", answer 4

We live near the city centre.

Correct answer: (a) near

Your answer was: incorrect
We live nearby the city centre.
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Why near not nearby?

[Yo]

technically both are correct but its a matter of speech and how it sounds. if you want to get right down to i use both of those terms, but its english language what can you do, just go with the flow (that means just go along with it hehe)

[Torsten]

Hi Yo,

Near and nearby are different things. Near is used as a preposition in the context given, whereas nearby is an adverb (or an adjective depending on the context it's being used in) which cannot be used in connection with the noun city. So, only the preposition near is correct in the given sentence.

Please, also take a look here:
http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic1262.html

Thanks for your support again.
Regards
Torsten
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary