mostly
/ˈməʊstli/adverb
उच्चारण मोस्ट्ली
अधिकतर, ज़्यादातर, प्रायः
Basic word
- 1
mainly; generally
अधिकतर, ज़्यादातर, प्रायः
- The students in the class are mostly from Bihar.
- We mostly travel by train.
- The sauce is mostly tomatoes and onions.
+ 5 more examples
- The guests were mostly relatives from Jaipur.
- I mostly study in the evening.
- The tickets are mostly sold online these days.
- It rains mostly in July and August.
- The water in the lake is mostly clean.
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
mostly + before the main verb
Mostly usually stands before the main verb or after be, and means in most cases or for the most part.
'Mostly' प्रायः मुख्य क्रिया से पहले या be के बाद आता है और अधिकांश मामलों में या मुख्यतः का अर्थ देता है।
- Radhika mostly studies at night.
- The students are mostly from small towns.
mostly + preposition phrase / noun phrase
It can modify a phrase to say that a group is mainly of one kind: mostly women, mostly in the north.
यह किसी वाक्यांश को बदलकर बताता है कि समूह मुख्यतः एक प्रकार का है: mostly women, mostly in the north।
- The visitors were mostly foreigners.
- Rain falls mostly in July and August.
mostly versus most (adverb confusion)
Most forms the superlative (the most useful); mostly means mainly. They are not interchangeable.
'Most' superlative बनाता है (the most useful); 'mostly' का अर्थ मुख्यतः है। दोनों एक-दूसरे की जगह नहीं आ सकते।
- This is the most useful book.
- The book is mostly about history.
mostly as a short answer
Mostly can stand alone as an answer to a question when the answer is true in general but not entirely.
जब उत्तर सामान्यतः सत्य हो पर पूर्णतः नहीं, तब 'mostly' अकेला उत्तर बन सकता है।
- 'Did you finish the work?' 'Mostly.'
- 'Is the road open?' 'Mostly, yes.'
+Collocations 4
mostly + adjective
trueharmlessquietemptydrycloudy
- The town is mostly quiet in the afternoon.
mostly + verb
dependeatworklivegrowconsist
- The soil mostly consists of sand and clay.
mostly + noun phrase
mostly womenmostly studentsmostly farmersmostly small shops
- The audience was mostly college students.
mostly + time / place
mostly in wintermostly at nightmostly in Keralamostly on weekends
- Fog occurs mostly in December and January.
“More examples 5
- Our class is mostly girls this year.
इस वर्ष हमारी कक्षा में अधिकांश लड़कियाँ हैं।
- The questions in the paper were mostly easy.
पेपर के प्रश्न अधिकतर आसान थे।
- Radhika mostly walks to the library, except when it rains.
बारिश के दिनों को छोड़कर राधिका अधिकतर पैदल पुस्तकालय जाती है।
- The festival is celebrated mostly by farmers in this region.
इस क्षेत्र में यह त्योहार मुख्यतः किसान मनाते हैं।
- The accident happened mostly because of careless driving.
दुर्घटना मुख्यतः लापरवाह ड्राइविंग के कारण हुई।
!Common mistakes 1
✗ She is mostly the best student of the class.
✓ She is the best student of the class.
Mostly means mainly, so it cannot be used with a superlative; the idea of best is already complete.
'Mostly' का अर्थ मुख्यतः है, इसलिए यह superlative के साथ नहीं आता; 'best' का भाव पहले से पूर्ण है।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
All three show a large share, but they differ in grammar and strength.
तीनों बड़े हिस्से का भाव देते हैं, पर व्याकरण और बल में भिन्न हैं।
An adverb meaning in most cases or mainly.
Adverb जिसका अर्थ अधिकांश मामलों में या मुख्यतः है।
- The stalls are mostly closed on Sundays.
Stresses the main reason, part or purpose.
मुख्य कारण, भाग या उद्देश्य पर बल देता है।
- The stalls close mainly because of the heat.
More formal; means to a great extent.
अधिक औपचारिक; इसका अर्थ बहुत हद तक है।
- The delay was largely due to rain.
◇Word family
?Which word?
Do not confuse mostly (mainly) and most, which forms the superlative, so say 'the most beautiful city', not 'the mostly beautiful city'.
Mostly (ज़्यादातर) और most में भ्रम न करें, क्योंकि superlative most से बनता है, इसलिए 'the most beautiful city' कहें, 'the mostly beautiful city' नहीं।