All and most: all the rooms, most of them, most people

All and most: meaning and noun forms

All includes the complete group or amount. Most means the majority, or the larger part. It does not give an exact amount. If you need to say that nearly the complete group is included, use almost all or nearly all.

A countable noun has a singular and plural form in this use: one visitor, two visitors. An uncountable noun names an amount without a plural here: luggage, rainwater. See Countable and uncountable nouns: a bag, some luggage for words whose meaning changes their countability.

Cambridge's grammar reference explains most as the majority. Its learner dictionary also uses the shorter definition almost all. Do not treat most as an exact percentage or as a guarantee that just one or two are left out.

• Almost all the seats were taken. Very few were still free.

A noun directly after all or most

Put all or most directly before a plural or uncountable noun when you talk about people, things or an amount without the, my or another identifying word. Do not insert of by itself.

• All bicycles need brakes.
• Most offices close on public holidays.
• Most traffic uses the main road.

All bicycles is about bicycles as a class. All the bicycles points to a particular group, such as the bicycles outside this building. Both forms are grammatical; the meaning tells you which group is included.

• All the bicycles outside the shop are for sale. Every bicycle in that particular group.

A phrase after the noun can narrow its meaning without forcing of: Most shops in this street open at nine is possible. The useful form rule is about what comes immediately after most: most shops, but most of the shops.

A particular group: most of, all and all of

A determiner is a word such as the, my or these that helps identify a noun. Before a noun group beginning with one of these words, use most of. With all, of is optional.

In the all examples, the brackets mean that you can include or leave out of. They are not part of the sentence you write. Do not remove of from most of my notes or add it directly before a bare plural noun: most notes, not most of notes.

You can also use most of with a place name to mean the larger part of that place. This is a separate pattern from most plus a plural noun.

• Most of Portugal had dry weather that week.

Personal pronouns: all of them and most of it

A pronoun can stand in place of a noun. Before personal pronouns, use all of or most of. The form after of is the object form: us, you, them or it, not we or they. This stays true when the whole phrase is the subject.

• All of us brought lunch.
• Most of them work upstairs.
• I saved most of it for tomorrow. Most of the food.
• The coach spoke to all of you.

Of is not optional in all of them or most of us. Do not transfer the optional-of rule from all the bags to all them in the neutral pattern taught here.

Inside a sentence, an object pronoun can come before all: them all, us all, it all. The meaning matches all of plus that pronoun. This alternative does not work by replacing all with most.

• I checked them all before sending the documents. I checked all of them.
• We used it all to make the sauce. We used all of it.

For a short reply, use all of them rather than them all in the pattern Cambridge teaches: Which copies do you want? All of them. Use most of them for the larger part, not them most.

Choosing the verb

With all or most, the verb follows what you are counting or measuring. A plural noun takes a plural verb; an uncountable amount takes a singular verb. Most does not make every subject singular or every subject plural.

• Most of the chairs are already outside.
• Most of the paint is still wet.
• All the windows are open.
• All the equipment is ready.

A pronoun follows the same meaning: Most of them are ready, but Most of it is ready. Longer subjects and group nouns need their own agreement checks; see Subject-verb agreement: finding the subject and choosing the verb.

All later in a sentence

All can refer back to a plural subject without coming before its noun. Put it before the main verb, after the first auxiliary or modal, or after be when be is the main verb. An auxiliary is a helping verb, such as have in have arrived.

• The neighbours all know each other.
• The guests have all arrived.
• You can all leave your bags here.
• The lights are all off.

Each sentence includes the complete subject group. Most does not fit in this same position with the meaning the majority: say Most of the guests have arrived, not The guests most have arrived.

All also has a different adverb use meaning completely, especially in informal language: all alone or all covered in dust. That is not a count of a group, so do not use it as the model for most of the guests.

All day, all the time and the whole day

All day, all night, all morning and all summer can describe a complete period. These patterns have no the before the time word. They describe duration, not an event that repeats on separate days.

• I waited all afternoon for the delivery.
• The heating was on all night.

Every afternoon means on each afternoon. The whole afternoon describes one complete afternoon. See Every, each, whole and all: every day, each of them, the whole day for those contrasts and regular intervals.

Do not turn the no-article all day pattern into a ban on the after all. All the time is a valid phrase. It can mean very often; all of the time is also possible. All comes before the article, while whole comes after it.

• My phone rings all the time. It rings very often.
• I spent the whole morning painting the gate.

Leaving out the noun: all and most as pronouns

You can leave out the noun after most when the context makes it clear. All can also stand alone, especially in formal wording. A pronoun use replaces a noun group instead of describing a following noun.

• The café has twelve tables. Most are outside.
• All are welcome at the meeting. Everyone is welcome.

Cambridge marks all alone as formal.

All with a following clause is another pattern. All that I know means everything that I know. You can leave out that when it is the object of the following clause. All I need can mean the only thing I need; this is not the same structure as all standing alone.

• She carried all that we had packed to the car.
• All I need is a quiet desk.

In an ordinary sentence referring to all things without that kind of clause, everything is the clear neutral choice: Everything is ready. This does not make the formal All is ready impossible.

Most, the most and mostly

Most before a noun means the larger part, not the largest number in a comparison. The most means a larger number or amount than the others have. You need that comparison meaning, not just a large amount.

You can win the most votes without winning most of the votes if the votes are divided among several proposals. The two phrases answer different questions. See Superlatives for the most with adjectives and other comparisons.

Mostly is an adverb meaning mainly. It can describe what you do or what something consists of, but it is not the determiner most before a noun.

• We mostly meet online. Mainly online, rather than in person.
• Most of our meetings are online. The larger part of our meetings.

Most also has separate uses outside this quantity pattern. Cambridge records a most useful suggestion with formal most meaning very, and most every evening as mainly US informal for almost every evening. These do not change the form of most of my notes.

Not all and almost all

Almost all means close to the complete group or amount. Not all denies that the complete group is included. It does not tell you the size of the remaining part and does not mean none.

• Not all the rooms have a balcony. At least one room does not have one.
• The boxes were not all empty. At least one still contained something.

For a clear zero meaning, use no or none: None of the rooms has a balcony. See No, none and none of: nobody, no one, nothing and nowhere for no and none.

What comes next

Every, each, whole and all: every day, each of them, the whole day compares complete groups, separate members and complete things. Much, many and a lot of: few, a few, little and a little covers other quantity words; Both, either and neither: both doors, either of them, neither answer covers choices involving two. Superlatives explains the most in comparisons, and Subject-verb agreement: finding the subject and choosing the verb develops number and verb choices.