‘Most’ or ‘Most of’: Which one is right?

‘Most’ and ‘most of’ are frequently confused, leading to incorrect sentences such as ‘most of people do not understand’. So, what are the rules?

a) Most

• most + plural nouns: ‘most cultures consider old people to be wise, but it is not clear if most people in the UK think the same way’.

• most + uncountable nouns: ‘most bread is great when toasted’; ‘most research is carried out in universities’.

b) Most of

• most of + articles (a, the): ‘most of the dogs on my street are old labradors’; ‘most of the time, I feel happy’.

• most of + demonstratives (this, that, these, those): ‘most of this book is incomprehensible’; ‘most of those buildings are going to be knocked down’.

• most of + possessives (hers, his, my, etc.): ‘most of his effort is spent on flattering his boss’; ‘for most of my life, I have been in love with you’.

• most of + pronouns (them, it, him, her, etc.): ‘most of it is going to be wasted; let’s take it home’; ‘most of them are going to pass – good news!’

• most of + countries and places (England, London etc.): ‘most of London is covered in fog’; ‘most of Japan is not far from the sea’.

Take a test. Choose ‘most’ or ‘most of’.

In my imagination, ___ England was covered in forests in the past, and ____ people wore leather clothes made of leather. ___the time, there was not much to do in the evening as there was no TV. I guess ___ food was pretty basic, too. We are quite lucky in ____ ways to be alive today.