Thank you. Is that the way it works - a contraction? I have no idea.
Me neither. "Most everybody" to mean "almost everybody" in writing is almost inconceivable to me.
Are you an AmE speaker?
You bet.Are there many AmE speakers using this site?
A few, and most of use are upright, ambulatory, and self-nourishing.
As a contraction I can understand. But the above referenced website makes no mention of "most" being 'most (almost almost!) but rather contrasts the two suggesting that is only "most" that can predicate all, everyX, and anyX.
Seems odd to me too, and while I've lived in the eastern part of the country my entire sentient life, I'm pretty fluent in "Southern." The other parts of the country may have other dialects.
I am not sure what this "most...." means.
Considering
This is almost entirely unbelievable. (I very nearly can't believe it at all)
This is most entirely unbelievable. (Tautologically, "I certainly can't believe it at all", or as a contraction of almost, "I nearly can't believe it at all." Which?)
I expect the person who would write this means "almost." Otherwise it would be "Most of this is entirely unbelievable"
This is almost grotesque. (This is not quite grotesque, but very nearly.)
That's how I read it too.
This is most grotesque. (This is
extremely grotesque OR a contraction of the above, nearly but not quite grotesque?)
But the "It was most strange" for "very strange" or "It was most colorful" for "very colorful" isn't a very common American construction in my experience. Used occasionally, sure, and universally understood, but not a spontaneous combination for many.
I feel that "most grotesque" is more grotesque than "grotesque".
I do too.
When it comes to the use of most before "all" "everyone" "anywhere", I am not sure if "most" strengthens or mitigates.
I think it's just informal and it means almost all.
Does, "Most all teachers think that this sentence is strange" mean, as a contraction perhaps, "almost all teachers" or "the (exceptionless, full, complete) entirety of the set of teachers think that this sentence is strange"?