HSK 5
范围副词：大都
fàn wéi fù cí ： dà dōu
Scope Adverb: 大都
Explanation
大都 (dàdōu) is an adverb (a word that modifies a verb or adjective) of scope, meaning "mostly", "the majority", "for the most part". It indicates that most members of a group share a common characteristic, but NOT the entire 100%.
Subject (the person or thing performing, at the head of the sentence) + 大都 (dàdōu) + verb / adjective.
学生大都很爱学习 (students mostly love to study).
When talking about a general tendency or a common characteristic of a collective (a class, a group of people, a type of object). Since 都 (dōu) means "all", 大都 is usually used with a plural subject or one with a collective meaning.
大都 (dàdōu) emphasizes "the majority but not all"; whereas 都 (dōu) means "all, 100%". Do not use 大都 when you want to assert the entirety.
Vietnamese learners often place 大都 after the verb or use it with a singular subject. 大都 must come BEFORE the verb/adjective and go with a subject of collective meaning; you do not say 小孩儿喜欢大都吃甜的, but rather 小孩儿大都喜欢吃甜的.
Examples
Those who take part in the boat-racing competition are mostly girls.
The students in our class mostly love to study.
Children mostly like to eat sweet things.
Practice
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Learn “范围副词：大都” effectively
The grammar point “范围副词：大都” (Scope Adverb: 大都) is one of the key structures at HSK 5. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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