| 词组 | most, almost |
| 释义 | most, almost The adverb most that is a shortening of almost has been attested in the written language since the early 17th century. It seems to have appeared in Scottish English in the 16th century with the spelling maist. At some point it made its way to this country, where it has flourished since the later part of the 18th century. It is in current use in speech and in standard writing of a not overly formal character. In standard English most "almost" and the other familiar adverb most are in complementary distribution; that is, their usages do not conflict. Most "almost" is quite limited in application. It modifies the adjectives all, every, and any; the pronouns all, anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, and everything; the adverbs always, anywhere, and everywhere. There are other uses of most "almost" but they are dialectal or, perhaps, old-fashioned. Here are some examples of standard written use: • ... it showers most all the time —Emily Dickinson, letter, 12 May 1842 • ... like most all of us, learned his racial prejudice at home —Dan Wakefield, Los Angeles Times Book Rev., 25 Apr. 1971 • ... with a technical equipment equal to most any demands —Irving Kolodin, Saturday Rev., 30 Jan. 1954 • ... witness ... German propaganda most anywhere in Europe —N.Y. Herald Tribune Book Rev., 24 Dec. 1939 • ... and most every conceivable type of four-wheeled vehicle —Malcolm S. Forbes, Forbes, 1 Dec. 1970 • So most everybody in the bar was merely leaning on the bar —John McNulty, New Yorker, 31 Oct. 1953 • ... most everybody in the world today believes in his heart that life is more worth living for the average man in North America than anywhere else —John Dos Passos, quoted in New Republic, 1 Sept. 1941 • ... like most everyone else on the beach —David Arnold, Boston Globe Mag., 2 Dec. 1979 • ... the quote is familiar to most every student of literature —Harvard O'Neille, Southern Accents, September-October 1984 • Most everything about a car... is more or less essential —Henry Miller, The Air-Conditioned Nightmare, 1945 • These symbols ... are most always used in pairs — Joseph Lasky, Proofreading and Copy-Preparation, 1949 • ... accompanies him most everywhere —Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 8 Aug. 1983 • With that kind of power you could do most anything with a ball club —Alvin Dark & John Underwood, Sports Illustrated, 20 May 1974 • Most all of the poultry you purchase is ready-to-cook —Eva Medved, The World of Food, 3d ed., 1981 • ... the Tassels of most all the corn —George Washington, diary, 25 Aug. 1770 (OED Supplement) All of these uses are standard. Here are a few samples of dialectal or old-fashioned use: • It was most eleven when Josiah and me got to bed agin —Marietta Holley, "A Pleasure Exertion," in Mark Twain's Library of Humor, 1888 • It most froze me to hear such talk —Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, 1884, in The Practical Cogitator, ed. Charles P. Curtis, Jr., & Ferris Greenslet, 1945 • "I don't worry about myself," the old woman replied, "... my time has 'most come...." —Ellen Glasgow, Vein of Iron, 1935 • "There's your moon, Midge," he said • "I was watching it. It's most at the full."—Hamilton Basso, The View from Pompey's Head, 1954 A lot has been written about this most. From Bache 1869 to Trimmer & McCrimmon 1988 commentators and pedagogues disparage the word, calling it "inexcusable," "colloquial," "schoolgirlish," "dialectal," "incorrect," "folksy," "illiterate." Yet no native speaker of American English has any trouble with it, and it does not interfere with superlative most. As Evans 1957 observes, there is no theoretical or grammatical reason to object to the use. Indeed, the 120 years of opposition to most defy rational analysis. It is not even a covert marker of social status. It is simply an established American idiom; it has been in reputable use in speech and, somewhat less often, in writing from George Washington's time to the present. As you have noticed, its range of application is limited; it cannot be used everywhere that almost can. But within its sphere it is entirely respectable. |
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