Patrick Power
‘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.