Grammar · Free lesson
Most or most of? Look at the next word
Your club has ten members. Eight come by bicycle. You want to describe that majority without repeating the exact number every time.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
Say most members, without of, when most comes directly before the plural noun. Use most of our members or most of the members before an identified group, and most of them before the pronoun. Here most means the majority, not the highest score or degree.
Check what comes immediately after most.
Members can follow most directly. Our members already has our, so put of between most and our. The members works the same way. When the group is already clear, replace it with them: most of them. In this counted group, a majority means more than half.
Three ways to describe the club’s majority
Most members cycle to the club.
Most of our members cycle to the club.
Most of them cycle to the club.
Do not automatically add of after most. Look at the next part: members, our members or them.
Name the group, then shorten it
Start with the stated numbers
Our club has ten members. Eight cycle here.
Describe the majority of your group
Most of our members cycle here.
Use a pronoun for the same group
Most of them cycle here.
Try it now
Choose the majority pattern.
Read all answers and explanations
Keep the words our members and describe the majority.
Most of our members cycle here.Our already introduces the noun phrase, so use most of our members. Most our is missing of; adding the before most does not fix this pattern.
Choose the sentence that describes a majority using most directly before the noun members.
Most members cycle here.Most members places most directly before the noun. Most of members lacks a word such as the or our after of. The most members suggests a comparison in an appropriate context, not the majority meaning requested.
The club has ten members. Which situation clearly supports “Most of our members cycle here”?
Eight of the ten members cycle here.Eight out of ten is more than half. Exactly half or only two out of ten is not a majority.
Build it yourself
Describe the club’s cycling majority.
Use all five pieces to say that the majority of your members cycle here. Begin with Most and finish with here.
Arrange the pieces into one statement. Select a piece again to move it back.
The majority statement
0 of 5 piecesYour chosen pieces will appear here.
See a model answer
Most of our members cycle here.
Most of our members identifies a majority within your club’s group. Our makes of necessary in this pattern.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Can I say most them?
No. For this quantity meaning with the object pronoun, use most of them. You do not need to repeat members once the reference is clear.
Most of them cycle here.
Does most give the exact number?
No. It tells you that the larger part of the group is involved. If the precise count matters, give the number, as we did for this club.
Eight of our ten members cycle here.
Take it into your day
Most members; most of our members; most of them. The next words determine the pattern.
Your next step · Available on Udemy
Make quantity words work in your own sentences.
English Grammar and English Speaking includes A Lot of - Most with Learn It, Review It, Use It and Practice It lessons. Develop this quantity pattern alongside broader grammar and speaking practice.
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