So many words are encountered in English that can be either confusing or contradicting. Such words include prepositions and conjunctions. It is common to get surprised by words that almost sound similar and even look the same. To make your speech easy to understand, it is important you know how to distinguish certain English words.
There are terms that can be used interchangeably because they are slightly different. However, only experts can explain what the differences truly are. Hearing these words regularly often brings more confusion leaving people thinking that these words are identical.
Auxiliary verbs can be used alongside the main verb to better explain the mood, tense, and even the voice of the main verb.
Must Vs. Most
The main difference between these two words is that “must” confirm certainly while “most” is used to describe quantity. Must help to further express the certainty of situations while most focus more on quantifying situations.
Must is used to explain something that is about to happen or something that will certainly happen. The speaker in this case ensures that the subject will definitely follow the predicate. Examples of such statements include: ‘The sun has been up for a while. It must be hot outside,’ ‘The boys must have finished their homework by dinner time’.
Most on the other hand is used to show large amounts of something or show the majority in something. Examples include, ‘Most people like flowers.’, ‘Most school children are finding it difficult to study on the screen.’
Comparison between Must and Most
- Must is used to explain something that is bound to or will certainly happen. Most on the other hand explain a greater amount or huge quantity of something.
- Must help to represent obligations while must help to show quantifications.
- Must can either be used as a verb or a noun while Most can be used as a determiner, adverb, pronoun, or noun.
- Antonyms used for Must are nonessential and non-necessity while those used for Most are least, negligible, little, somewhat, and slightly.
What is Must?
Must is something that is mandatory and is meant to happen. It is used to explain something that one ought to do that is of utmost importance. An example is: ‘You must fill out all the college forms for the economics department.’
Must can also be used to show that something is extremely urgent. It explains that if something is not urgently attended to, it may result in negative consequences. For example, ‘You must report to the exam room at a certain time or else you will be locked out.’ In such a case, must have been used to explain that failure to get to the exam room at the required time will result in failure. Failure is a negative consequence.
Must can also be used to describe an event that will happen without fail. It is also used to describe something that is mandatory and will not fail to happen.
What is Most?
Most, on the other hand, is used to describe a huge amount of something. It can be used to quantify things and even people. Most only uses numbers to quantify something. The quantity is always large. For example in a sentence: “Most available fruits in the market, today are fresh.
Most is a term that can be used to compare large numbers. It is used to show the majority or represents quantities that are more than half the expected amounts. Most is also a term that can be used to compare large numbers. Half use it to show the largest numbers or those that have already exceeded the quantity.
Most is a term used to explain the greater case from a group of people or amount of things.
Difference between Must and Most
- The main difference is that Must is used to ascertain that a situation is most likely to happen while the second explains quantities that include large numbers or those that have exceeded the numbers by half.
- Must is used to show that it is necessary for one to do something and even further explains that failure to do will result in a negative consequence. Most, on the other hand, is used to quantify people or things in large proportions or numbers.
- Must express speeches that are formal. Most on the other hand explain data, statistics, and even statements. The difference between this and the initial is that it can be used in both formal and informal situations.
- Most is a term that is used to show that a situation is extremely important and needs to be attended to. It explains the importance of abiding by a law or rule. Most, on the other hand, show a wider range of things and even people.
- Must is a term used to express a kind of obligation. That is something that ought to be done without fail. It results in a negative consequence if ignored and not adhered to. Most is a term mainly used to compare people, objects, and even situations. In most cases, it deals with larger numbers and quantities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can confirm that English is a language that is used widely all over the world. It has so many terms that are in most cases quite confusing to its users. While words that look similar can be interchanged in statements, understanding them better and their meanings are important.
Misuse of words in context can alter the message that we are trying to pass across. It is important to understand what particular words, especially those that look the same or have similar meanings mean, to avoid using them wrongly in phrases.
Must and Most are words that sound very similar. However, a deeper understanding of them will reveal that they are two very different words used in very different contexts. While must is used to ascertain situations and reveal that failure to adhere will result in negative consequences, most is used to quantify objects or people. Quantities are in terms of large numbers or those that have exceeded the expected number by half.