Most of the rare plants are found in silent valley.
Am confused as to which degree this sentence belongs, as it has the word 'most' which is superlative, but also the adjective, 'rare' is in positive degree.
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Possible dupe of english.stackexchange.com/questions/55920/…– coleopteristCommented Aug 15, 2012 at 6:42
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4 Answers
Most can function as an adjective, noun, pronoun and adverb. In your example it is a noun, meaning 'the majority'.
answered Aug 15, 2012 at 6:12
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So, is the sentence in a superlative degree on the whole or just positive degree?– miraclesCommented Aug 15, 2012 at 7:35
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1@manjari: Only adjectives and adverbs can form comparatives and superlatives, Here, 'most' is neither. Commented Aug 15, 2012 at 7:40
In this case "most" functions as an adverb and NOT an adjective. If you remove the word "rare" from the sentence, you will no longer be confused.
In this specific sentence, 'rare' is not to be read separately but as a part of the phrase 'rare plants', a noun phrase.
That leaves us with 'most'. I'm afraid I have to differ from @Marianne Ajana and say that 'most' here functions as an adjective.
You would better explain what really you mean by 'superlative' and 'positive' degree in the context of the example sentence.
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I found this question in an exercise where, for "Most of the rare plants are found in silent valley", it was asked to identify the degree of the sentence. That is whether it is a positive degree, comparative degree, superlative degree or no degree at all. Seeing the word most i thought it should be superlative, which i assume is not the case now, as per the responses posted here.– miraclesCommented Aug 15, 2012 at 8:10
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@Kris, the faq does not have the word homework in it, nor does What questions are on-topic and off-topic here? mention homework. The main answer to How to deal with homework questions says On-Topic, of course with some provisos. Commented Aug 16, 2012 at 6:00
It just means 'the majority of the rare plants'.
