A can of 'most'-worms :)

[Tamara]

Hi

I know, most is (equally) used both as an adverb and as an adjective. In various meanings and contexts.

My today’s rapt attention to it was attracted by my own, firstly wrong, reading of the Mister Micawber’s phrase
for most native speakers - which I first have read by analogy with something like most beautiful flower(s).
(I mean, when 'most', in fact, is used as an intensifier for an adjective. )

You probably know that it’s a quite typical mistake, especially for Slavic people, – to expect (and mistakenly use) of after many, some or most – in all cases when it is used as an adverb that would refer to relative quantity (characterizing the majority). Most of people and the like.

So, in most cases when I read most without of after, I first suppose it as being an intensifier.
Reading for most native speakers just as a good joke

By the way: my question is quite different

Can I consider that most is quite often (informally) used just as a shortening form of almost (in the meaning of 'almost all', 'almost always', 'almost everywhere', etc.) ?

(Sorry, I can’t now give an example, but certainly sometimes I’d suspect that informal use.
But I’ll try to add some, if find them in my short memory. (In my language we say 'girlish / maidenly memory' for the phenomenon ) )

Tamara
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It’s impossible to learn swimming without entering the water…

[Mister Micawber]

.

[Tamara]

Hmm... certainly I saw 'most somewhere, but didn't pay proper attention to that.

Thank you, Mister Micawber!

...If people also used 'an apostrophe' in spoken colloqual English, my life would be a bit easier.
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It’s impossible to learn swimming without entering the water…