prepositions - "nearby" vs "near to"






  1. He went fishing in the creek nearby the grocery store.




  2. He went fishing in the creek near by the grocery store.




  3. He went fishing in the creek near to the grocery store.





Could anyone please show me if there is any difference semantically?



Answer



Nearby in the sentence implies "close at hand or adjacent".


From TFD....


nearby, adj.


talking about short distances.


If something is near, near to, or close to a place or thing, it is a short distance from it.



  • I live in Reinfeld, which is near Lübeck.

  • I stood very near to them.



When near and close have this meaning, don't use them immediately in front of a noun. Instead use nearby.



  • He was taken to a nearby hospital

  • He threw the bag into some nearby bushes

  • a nearby town



He went fishing in the creek near(by) the grocery store.


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