Almost Vs Most Vs Almost all
The words almost, most, almost all can often cause some confusion.
Here are some examples to help you figure out the differences and usage.
Almost
The word almost is an adverb. So, almost will modify or describe a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Its meaning is similar to “nearly,” “not quite,” or “very nearly.”
- My train was 5 minutes late, and I almost missed the meeting. (But I didn’t.)
- I almost failed the math test. (But I didn’t fail)
- John will be almost 50 next week. (He will be 50 years old next week.)
- It’s almost 7:00pm. Let’s wrap up and continue tomorrow. (It’s about 6:50pm now.)
- I know almost everyone in the office. (But not all thirty employees.)
Most
The word most is an adjective. So, most will modify or describe a noun or pronoun. Its meaning is similar to “majority,” the “largest part,” “nearly all of.”
- John has the most points in TOEFL out of all the students. (Out of all the students who took the TOEFL test, John scored the highest.)
- I have traveled to most countries in Asia. (I’ve been to many countries in Asia but not all.)
- She is the most creative student in her class. (There may be many creative students, but she is above others.)
- Most days I go to bed after midnight because I have so much work. (I go to bed late majority of the time.)
- Seven-Eleven is the most convenient store in Tokyo.
Almost All
Almost all is simply “almost + all.” Since “all” means one-hundred percent, almost all would mean not exactly one-hundred percent, but close.
- Almost all Americans like hot dogs and hamburgers. (Not all Americans may like hot dogs and hamburgers, but a good majority do.)
- Almost all students are involved in some kind of sport.
- Some high school students spend almost all of their time playing video games.
- I know almost all the Japanese Kanjis for level 4 JLPT.
- Almost all sports are represented in the Olympics Games.
