i can go most anywhere?

[Tedwonny]

I've heard this several times but does it make any sense/ is it grammatically correct?

Is most an abbreviated form of ALMOST?

thanks

 

[TheParser]

NOT A TEACHER


(1) According to my dictionary, you are 100% correct.

(2) Here's an example:

Most everyone has the good manners to thank the teachers who answer his/her questions.

 

[5jj]

In standard BrE, we never shorten 'almost' to 'most'.

 

[emsr2d2]

If I had to "translate" (for want of a better word) "Most everyone" into BrE, I would say "Pretty much everyone ..."

I'm aware that "pretty much" and "almost" can mean the same thing but I certainly wouldn't say that "most" in this context is any kind of contraction of "almost". As 5jj said, we don't have a contraction of "almost".

 

[Tedwonny]

Thanks for all of your insightful replies

though most isn't a contraction of almost but it does mean 'almost', right?

 

[TheParser]

it does mean 'almost', right?

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) As our British friends told us, they do not use "most" to mean "almost."

(2) I think that when we shorten "almost" to "most," we call the "new" word

a clipped word. For example, "I take a bus to work." "Bus" is a clipped form of

"omnibus." When you get time, please google "clipped words." I think that you

will find a lot of helpful results.

(3) For Americans, "most" as a short way of saying "almost" is fine. The Random House Webster's Unabridged Diictionary (second edition) has an excellent article on this matter.

(a) Because of strict copyright laws, I cannot quote the whole note. I think that I

can give two of its examples:

Most everyone around here is related to everyone else.
You can find that plant most anywhere.

(b) The book says that this use of "most" is found in the speech of educated

Americans but it "is less common in edited writing." In other words, it might

be a good idea that you not use it in your written reports at the university.