[Vocabulary] Most of & Most

Hi there!

Could you please tell me the difference between "Most of" and "Most"?

Dinhtuong said:

Hi there!

Could you please tell me the difference between "Most of" and "Most"?

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Not without some context, no. Please post some sentences using both of them and we will be able to see where, if at all, you are having difficulties.

Could you please tell me the difference between "Most of" and "Most"?

- Most of American high school students claim they know how to read.

or:

- Most American high school students claim they know how to read.

which sentence is correct? and Why?

Dinhtuong said:

Could you please tell me the difference between "Most of" and "Most"?

- Most of American high school students claim they know how to read.

or:

- Most American high school students claim they know how to read.

which sentence is correct? and Why?

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Only #2 is correct. Now see if you can work out why.

OP has started a new thread with some example sentences so no need to continue replying on this one. For info.

Note (from 5jj) I have now merged the threads, so you can continue posting here.)

Dinhtuong, please do not start more than one thread on the same topic.

I'm not sure, but I think that both sentences are correct and only differ in their, say, intellectual focus. When the speaker/writer uses most of, he or she is considering the original set, students in this case, and is making statement in regard to frequency/quantity in the context of it: most of the students; many of the participants; much of the anticipated; .. etc. On the other hand, most (something) is used when such set or containing context is irrelevant or not important, whatever, and the focus is initially on that quantitve portion of it for whatever qualities the speaker/writer is describing. In that sense, most (something) becomes an idea on its own and the thought of it is not in association with, or as part of, a containing idea or concept(i.e students.)

screamerer said:

I'm not sure, but I think that both sentences are correct and only differ in their, say, intellectual focus.

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Interesting idea, screamerer, but I don't think it's true. A more basic difference can be seen here:

Most [STRIKE]of[/STRIKE] students claim they know how to read. 'Of' is incorrect.
Most (of the) students I know claim they know how to read. 'Of the' is optional.
Most [STRIKE]of[/STRIKE] American high school students claim they know how to read. 'Of' is incorrect
Most (of the) American high school students I know claim they know how to read.'Of' is optional.
Most of my friends speak German. 'Of' is obligatory.

In general, if you are talking about a large, general group, you should use most.

If you are talking about a smaller, more specific group, you should use most of.

5jj said:

Interesting idea, screamerer, but I don't think it's true. A more basic difference can be seen here:

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Respect. Although I don't understand what's not true, that they are both correct, or the explanation?

Anyway, however, I think part of the ruling out of some language constructs, and the designation of them as incorrect or weak, is actually a matter of high unlikliness that the very fine, infrequent sense conveyed by such constructs is descriptive of the thought case,
and not that they are actually wrong.

Still, in a formal test, I would just answer the same as you said.

Asmaa Ghonemy Mahmoud said:

In general, if you are talking about a large, general group, you should use most.

If you are talking about a smaller, more specific group, you should use most of.

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Welcome to the forum, Asmaa Ghonemy Mahmoud.

Please read the forum rules - especially this one:

screamerer said:

Anyway, however, I think part of the ruling out of some language constructs, and the designation of them as incorrect or weak, is actually a matter of high unlikliness that the very fine, infrequent sense conveyed by such constructs is descriptive of the thought case, and not that they are actually wrong.

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Most of students claim they know how to read.

In normal circumstances native speakers would not say this, and would consider it unnatural if they heard it. If written by a student, it would be corrected. If produced in a test, it would cause marks to be lost. It's not a question of a 'very fine infrequent sense conveyed ' by this - it's just not correct English.

5jj said:

Most of students claim they know how to read.

In normal circumstances native speakers would not say this, and would consider it unnatural if they heard it. If written by a student, it would be corrected. If produced in a test, it would cause marks to be lost. It's not a question of a 'very fine infrequent sense conveyed ' by this - it's just not correct English.

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'It's not a question of a 'very fine infrequent sense conveyed ' by this'.. . Since it's not your question, I suggest you let the asker be the judge of that.

screamerer said:

'It's not a question of a 'very fine infrequent sense conveyed ' by this'.. . Since it's not your question, I suggest you let the asker be the judge of that.

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I think that as a native speaker and a teacher for many years, I can generally judge what is acceptable or not in British English.

screamerer said:

'It's not a question of a 'very fine infrequent sense conveyed ' by this'.. . Since it's not your question, I suggest you let the asker be the judge of that.

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I think you're mixing up "It's not a question of ..." (an idiomatic English phrase simply meaning "The important thing here is not ...") with the actual question posted by the OP. The rather more relevant part of 5jj's post was "it's just not correct English" and, with all due respect, we should not let the asker be the judge of that.

emsr2d2 said:

I think you're mixing up "It's not a question of ..." (an idiomatic English phrase simply meaning "The important thing here is not ...") with the actual question posted by the OP. The rather more relevant part of 5jj's post was "it's just not correct English" and, with all due respect, we should not let the asker be the judge of that.

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Maybe so; or, it may be you mixing up me being mixed up with what it actually is. In fact, his 'I think that as a native speaker and a teacher for many years, I can generally judge what is acceptable or not in British English' implies that he meant the actual question of the asker, not the idiom. You think people shouldn't be allowed to express their own thought? I think it's this very attitude of ignoring or at the least not trying to estimate what the other one is thinking that makes it hard for students to learn.

I think this thread has reached the end of its useful life. I am closing it.