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Grammar Day: Almost vs. Almost All

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Can You Tell the Difference Between These Sentences?

Almost vs. Almost all – they sound so similar and many students confuse them, but their meanings are actually different. Let’s have a look at the following sentences:

1. “Almost people value their personal space.”

2. “Almost all people value their personal space.”

3. “Almost all of the people value their personal space.”

Can you tell the difference between these sentences?

First of all, (2) and (3) sentences are grammatically correct, while (1) isn’t. Almost is a degree adverb meaning nearly but not quite. So, if you say “almost people…” you are saying that those people are nearly but not quite people.

How to Use “Almost”

Almost is an adverb. It goes with verb phrases very often. When it modifies a verb, it normally goes before the verb.

If the verb is a form of be, almost goes after it.

When almost is used to modify an adjective just like any other adverbs can, it goes before the adjective.

Almost + All

Almost can be used with expressions like every, all, nothing, and no-one. Today, we will look at this expression: almost all.

When almost is used as “almost all,” it refers to a very large percentage (99%). It can be used like ‘most’ but usually means a bigger number.

In addition, while almost all people means ‘the majority of the people in the world,’ almost all of the people means ‘the majority of a specific group of people’.

So, remember!

 

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