📊 Most, most of, the most
Talking about a general majority, a part of a specific group, and the superlative: the most + adj/adv or the most + noun (greatest quantity).
Most + noun (general majority)
Most of + the/this/my… / pronoun
The most + adj/adv (superlative)
The most + noun (greatest quantity)
Pronoun use: Most (of them)
Set phrases: for the most part, at most
🟦MOST (majority in general)
FORM
most + plural or uncountable noun — about people/things in general (no article or determiner).
- Most learners make mistakes at the beginning. (not Most of learners)
- I study every week, and most weeks I feel progress.
- Most English classes start with a short warm-up. 📚
- Most teachers want students to speak in class.
Most as a pronoun
- Most understood the rule. / Most answered correctly.
🔵MOST OF (part of a specific group)
FORM
most of + the/this/that/my/John’s… or most of + object pronoun (us/them/you/it).
- Most of the students in our group like pair work. 👥
- Most of this lesson is about simple examples.
- Most of us use our phones to study. / The teacher helped most of them.
- We read five short texts, most of which were easy.
ℹ️
Most = general majority. Most of = the majority of a specific/mentioned group.
🟠THE MOST (superlative with adjectives/adverbs)
FORM
the most + adjective/adverb — “the …-est / most …”.
- This is the most useful phrase for travellers.
- She has the most clear pronunciation in our class.
- I work the most quickly when I study in the morning.
Formal nuance
- a most + adjective = very (formal): a most helpful explanation.
🟠THE MOST (greatest quantity)
FORM
the most + noun — “the greatest amount/number” among groups.
- In our class, Anna learns the most words every week.
- This unit has the most practice in the book.
- Which exercise has the most questions?
✅
Talking about a majority with no comparison? Use most students. Comparing groups? Use the most students: Class A has the most students.
🧷Useful set phrases
- for the most part = mainly: For the most part, the lesson is easy.
- most of the time = usually: I practise pronunciation most of the time.
- at most = not more than: The exercise will take ten minutes at most.
- most likely = very probably: You’ll most likely remember it after a few days.
🚫Common mistakes
- ❌ Most of students like speaking practice. → ✅ Most students / Most of the students.
- ❌ The most students like… (for a general majority). → ✅ Most students like…
- ❌ The most of us understand. → ✅ Most of us understand.
- ❌ Most of people learn fast. → ✅ Most people learn fast. / Most of the people in this room…
✅Quick checks
- General majority? → most + noun
- Part of a specific group? → most of + the/this/my… or most of + pronoun
- “The …-est / most …”? → the most + adjective/adverb
- “The greatest amount/number”? → the most + noun
🧪More natural examples
- Most lessons are short, but most of the lesson today is speaking practice.
- Most of us make the same mistake with articles.
- This app has the most helpful examples for A2 learners.
- Among my study methods, listening helps me the most.
Recap: Most = a general majority; Most of = the majority of a specified group; The most = superlative of quality or the greatest quantity. 🌟
Exercises:
Most vs Most of vs The most
1
people enjoy spending time outdoors.
2
She invited
her classmates to the picnic.
3
This is
interesting museum in the city.
4
the questions were easy, but a few were tricky.
5
students in my class come from abroad.
6
We spent
our time walking along the river.
7
He bought the
expensive camera in the shop.
8
them arrived before noon.
9
coffee tastes bitter without sugar.
10
Which city has
rainfall in this region?
Most vs Most of vs The most
1
I spent ____ my Saturday cleaning the house.
A.
B.
C.
2
____ people in our office work remotely on Fridays.
A.
B.
C.
3
This is ____ difficult task we’ve ever completed.
A.
B.
C.
4
____ the students passed the exam this time.
A.
B.
C.
5
____ my friends live near the river.
A.
B.
C.
6
Paris has ____ museums in the country.
A.
B.
C.
7
____ this information is out of date.
A.
B.
C.
8
____ days, I start work at nine o’clock.
A.
B.
C.
9
Which city gets ____ rain each year?
A.
B.
C.
10
____ us were surprised by the announcement.
A.
B.
C.
Most vs Most of vs The most
most = general majority (no determiner) most of + the/my/these/people/pronouns/proper names the most = superlative (highest degree)
1
He ate the cake.
2
There is a high risk of fire in areas.
3
They went to the famous restaurants in the region.
4
people believe what they read online.
5
On mornings, she writes two or three pages.
6
He spent his life in prison.
7
These are comfortable shoes in the shop.
8
Becoming a professional footballer is the dream of young boys.
9
the people in my neighbourhood are nice and friendly.
10
This is important decision of my career.