can 'a' come before most

Question

I think the following sentence is incorrect

Leena is a most intelligent student.

because in such constructions the must come before most

But I found this sentence in a book.

I think it should be

Leena is the most intelligent student.

or even better way to write this will be

Leena is the most intelligent student in the class.

They are both possible and natural. It depends on the context, and what you're trying to say. There is no rule that it must be a or the. — Jason Bassford, Jul 16 '20 at 10:16

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 16 '20 at 10:15

All three sentences are grammatically correct, but there are different meanings.

Saying someone is "a most intelligent student" compliments their intelligence, but does not compare them to any specific group of other students.

Saying someone is "the most intelligent..." implies there is a specific group out of which this student is more intelligent than any others in the group.

can 'a' come before most

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