Close and shut can often be used with the same meaning
Example:
Open your mouth and close/shut your eyes.
I can’t close/shut the window. Can you help
me?
The shop closes/shuts at five o’clock.
You can shut, but not close, somebody/something
in or out of place.
Example:
I shut the letters in my desk drawer and
locked it. (not … I closed the letters)
She shut him out of the house.
The past participles closed and shut can be used as
adjectives.
Example:
The post office is closed/shut on Saturday afternoon.
Shut is not usually used before a noun.
Example:
A closed door (not … a shut door)
Closed eyes (not … shut eyes)
Cases where close is preferred
We prefer close for slow movements (like flowers closing at
night).
More common in a formal style.
Compare:
Close your mouth, please. (dentist to patient)
Shut your mouth! (rude way of saying ‘’be quite!”
We close roads, railways etc. (channels of communication).
And we close (=end) letters, bank accounts, meetings etc.
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