Grammar-Quizzes › Noun Phrases › Determiners › Quantifiers › Most vs. Most of the
Most vs. Most of the
Refer to a quantity in a group
Most vs. Most of the
| MOST STUDENTS | |
|---|---|
When speaking in general, we use most to refer to a quantity of an unspecific group of people or things. Below, most is a determiner (a quantifier) to the subject noun. Determiners such as a, the, this, some, most and every are placed before the noun. See Determiner List. |
|
| SUBJECT NOUN PHRASE | REST OF THE CLAUSE |
| DETERMINER + NOUN | |
The students the [Article]; students [N] |
ask questions.
|
Most students most – quantifier |
ask questions.
|
All students all – quantifier |
want less homework. |
Many / Several / A lot of¹ students ¹an exceptional multi-word quantifier |
try to earn A's.
|
Some students |
need tutoring. (extra help) |
Few / A few² students ²an exceptional multi-word quantifier |
have to repeat the class.
|
*None / *Any students No students |
want to fail. |
| MOST OF THE STUDENTS | |
|---|---|
When speaking specifically, we use most with a prepositional phrase that limits the number to a specific group. Note the prepositional phrase defines the group by including a modifier—an adjective, another prepositional phrase or a clause. |
|
| SUBJECT NOUN PHRASE | REST OF THE CLAUSE |
| NOUN + PREP PHRASE | |
Those in my class [PP] specific to students in my class |
ask questions.
|
Most of the students [PP] an understood (known) group of students |
ask questions.
|
All of the students in my English class specific to students in my English class |
want less homework.
|
Many / Several / A lot of the students intending to go to college specific to students intending to go to college |
try to earn A's.
|
Some of the students who fall behind specific to students who fall behind |
need tutoring.
|
Few / A few of the students who earn low grades specific to students who earn low grades |
have to repeat the class.
|
None of the students with failing grades specific to students with failing grades |
passed the class.
|
A group modifier could be one of the following: an adjective (advanced students), a prepositional phrase (students in my class), a relative clause (students who are applying to college), a reduced clause [nonfinite clause or gerund clause] (students planning to go to college).
¹a lot of (quantity expression) — a large number. "A lot of" is an expression that was formed from a prepositional phrase; however, it no longer has a word-for-word meaning. A lot of people left early. *The lot of people left early. .
²a few (quantity expression) — a small but sufficient number. "A few", an expression (the words combine to form a new meaning), is unlike "the few", which is understood literally (word for word). A few people left early. *The few people left early. See Little/Few vs. A Little/A few.
Article [Art]; Determiner [Det.]; Gerund [Ger]; Noun [NP]; Prepositional Phrase [PP]; Relative Clause [Rel Cls]
Related pages: Superlatives | Quantifiers, Determiners, Demonstratives
Also see: Be the best. / *Be best.
A Number of vs. The Number of
Several vs. Amount
A number of vs. The number of
| A NUMBER OF |
|---|
A number of means several or a lot. When a verb follows this phrase, it is plural. |
A number of students study engineering. (unspecific group)
|
A number of the students in my class are honor students. (specific) |
A number of the students there received scholarships. (specific) |
We couldn't count a number of students because they were unregistered. (unspecific group, unknown quantity) |
| THE NUMBER OF |
|---|
The number of states a quantity, an exact or inexact amount. A singular verb follows the phrase: is, equals, has risen, has decreased, has increased. |
The number of students is forty. (an unspecific group, an exact quantity – forty.) |
The number of the students in my class is unusually high. (a specific group, an exact – thirty – or an inexact quantity – low, high) |
The number of the students in my class is unexpected. (a specific group, an inexact quantity) |
We couldn't count the number of students in my class because many were unregistered. (a specific group, an inexact quantity – many.) |
Also see Quantity Phrases (agreement) and Pop-Q " Quantity".
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
|---|
*Most of students have a good time Saturday night. (A mixed expression: use "most" or "most of the".) |
*Some of people don't care what they do in public. (A mixed expression: use "some" or "some of the".) |
We are noticing that the number of students are buying their textbooks online. |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
Most students have a good time on Saturday night. Most of the students in college have a good time on Saturday night. |
Some people don't care what they do in public. Some of the people I know don't care what they do in public. |
We are noticing that a number of students are buying their textbooks online. the number – a quantity (e.g., 10, 25, 100); a number – several, a lot; See number. |
*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.
Practice 1
Movies on Demand
Examine the use of most /most of and a/the number of .
- Select your response.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check" or "check 1-14" button.
on demand – whenever a person wants (mail order, download, or streaming)
Blu-Ray – a high resolution format; HD