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keep out v.s. shut out



 
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ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
infinitive or ING? | useful/important... for or to?
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keep out v.s. shut out #1 (permalink) Tue Nov 27, 2007 20:46 pm   keep out v.s. shut out
 

Hi,

I have an impression that "shut out" and "keep out" have the same meaning "not allow to come in/enter"
Could you confirm or disprove it, please?
Also, could you tell me if the following sentences are natural to you?

Quote:
1. The police tried to keep out/shut out any protestors and stop them from disrupting the meeting
2. He closed the window to keep out/shut out the acrid smoke from the factory
3. Most people cope with their problems by shutting them out/keeping them out of their mind


Thanks !
Lost_Soul
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Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 1861
Location: South Park, Colorado, USA

keep out v.s. shut out #2 (permalink) Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:16 am   keep out v.s. shut out
 

Those are more or less the same. Just know that "shut out" evokes a mental image of a closed door or gate -- whether a real one or a metaphorical one. "Keep out" elicits no such image.

Also note that there's an intransitive usage of "keep out":

"I keep out of his office, because he's always crabby."
"The dog just keeps out of our neighbor's yard. We didn't have to train him."
"I want you to keep out of the refrigerator. Dinner will be ready soon."

In this intransitive usage, "shut out" is impossible.
Jamie (K)
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Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 6552
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA

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keep out v.s. shut out #3 (permalink) Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:13 am   keep out v.s. shut out
 

I see. Thank you very much !
Lost_Soul
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Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 1861
Location: South Park, Colorado, USA

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