Humanities › English Close, Clothes, and Cloths Commonly Confused Words Print Cloths (different fabrics). Sorin Rechitan / EyeEm / Getty Images English English Grammar An Introduction to Punctuation Writing By Richard Nordquist Richard Nordquist English and Rhetoric Professor Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester B.A., English, State University of New York Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on July 20, 2018 The verb close (pronounced "kloz") means to shut, complete, or bring to an end. The adjective close (pronounced "klos") means near, compact, or familiar. The noun clothes means "clothing."Cloths is the plural of the noun cloth (fabric). Read More Commonly Confused Word Pairs for ESL Learners By Kenneth Beare Examples: You should never close the door when a close friend calls.Put your filthy clothes in the hamper, and then wipe your face with a damp cloth."I ran down the hall to the linen closet and grabbed several white sheets to serve as cloths for the card tables I intended to string together."(Ann B. Ross,Miss Julia Throws a Wedding. Penguin, 2002) Practice: (a) Crazy Jane's ______ appear to have been made out of old rags sewn together.(b) "To draw you must _____ your eyes and sing."(Pablo Picasso)(c) Gus left his new work ______ hanging on the line during the snowstorm.(d) Bob has a _____ relationship with the president.(e) "Because oils can leave a film, avoid using oily _____ on glass, china, or similar materials that might be dulled or smeared."(Cheryl Mendelson, Home Comforts, 1999) Answers to Practice Exercises: Close, Clothes, and Cloths (a) Crazy Jane's clothes appear to have been made out of old rags sewn together.(b) "To draw you must close your eyes and sing."(Pablo Picasso)(c) Gus left his new work clothes hanging on the line.(d) Bob has a close relationship with the president.(e) "Because oils can leave a film, avoid using oily cloths on glass, china, or similar materials that might be dulled or smeared."(Cheryl Mendelson, Home Comforts, 1999) Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Nordquist, Richard. "Close, Clothes, and Cloths." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/close-clothes-and-cloths-1692720. Nordquist, Richard. (2020, August 27). Close, Clothes, and Cloths. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/close-clothes-and-cloths-1692720 Nordquist, Richard. "Close, Clothes, and Cloths." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/close-clothes-and-cloths-1692720 (accessed April 26, 2024). copy citation