almost和nearly的区别如下：
1. almost [nearly] 都可用来修饰不定代词、形容词、副词、动词、介词短语等，此时两者常可换用。如：
My car almost [nearly] stood still because of a traffic block.
我的车子因为交通阻塞而几乎动弹不得。
I lost my concentration and almost [nearly] drove into a bridge.
我走神了，驾车时几乎撞上了一座桥。
It is almost [nearly] late for you to catch the last bus.
天晚了，你快赶不上末班公共汽车了。
要注意它们与被修饰词的位置关系。比较并体会以下正误句子：
据说这个报社平均每天要收到百来篇来稿。
正：It's said that the paper receive an average of nearly 100 articles a day.
误：It's said that the paper nearly receive an average of 100 articles a day.
另外，再比较：
Everything was almost double the normal price.
样样东西几乎都是平时价格的两倍。
Almost everything was double the normal price.
几乎样样东西都是平时价格的两倍。
2. almost 可用于 any 以及 no, none, nobody, nothing, never 等否定词之前，但 nearly 一般不这样用。如：
He almost never remarks on how she looks.
他几乎从来不说她长相如何。
He is very practical—he can make or mend almost anything.
他很能干，几乎会制造或修理任何东西。
Tolerant of human frailty in whatever form, she almost never judged people.
她对人性的各种弱点都能够包容，几乎从不评价他人。
但是，两者都可用在否定动词之前。如：
He almost [nearly] didn't catch the bus.
他差点没赶上公共汽车。