Government of Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Most vs. Majority

Question:

In the following sentence, which is correct, most or majority?

  • Most (or The majority) of this information is available on the Internet.

Answer:

The Guide to Canadian English Usage reminds us to avoid majority when referring to things that can't be counted such as work, time or information. In these cases, go with most. So, your example would read as follows:

  • Most (not The majority) of this information is available on the Internet.

Many grammar books suggest using majority with count nouns. But you can often replace majority with most for a more natural plural. For example:

  • The majority (or Most) of the employees took part in the survey.