"the most number of" or "the greatest number of "
Someone once corrected me that I should say "the greatest number of sth" instead of "the most number of sth " to emphasize the largest in number. Is that gramatically wrong? Thanks.

Question

"the most number of"  or "the greatest number of "
Someone once corrected me that I should say "the greatest number of sth" instead of "the most number of sth " to emphasize the largest in number. Is that gramatically wrong? Thanks.

Answer

"The greatest/largest number of...." is correct, however you'd be understood well in either case.

"The most" indicates the superlative degree for certain adjectives; for example: "the most active; the most intelligent; the most energetic; etc."

"The most" can also indicate the largest amount or number of something for countable nouns: for example: "the most apples; the most points; the most participants; etc."

I hope this explanation helps. If you have any more questions, please let me know.

لا تفوّت فرصة تعلّم لغة جديدة وأنت مرتاح في منزلك. تصفّح مجموعتنا المختارة من مدرّسي اللغات ذوي الخبرة وسجّل في درسك الأول الآن!