All, Every & Each
A2 · ElementaryDeterminers & QuantifiersAll, every and each can all describe 'the whole group' — but they disagree on grammar (plural vs singular) and on feeling (a group vs individuals one at a time).
What you'll learn
- All + plural noun (or uncountable): the group as one whole
- Every + singular noun: a generalization about each member
- Each + singular noun: individuals, treated one by one
- Every and each both need a noun or 'one' — they never stand completely alone before 'of'
The core idea
All, every and each can all point at 'every member of a group' — but they don't grammatically or emotionally do it the same way. All treats the group as a single whole. Every generalizes about each member, almost like a rule. Each slows down and treats the members one by one, as individuals.
All vs every: whole group or generalization
All pairs with a plural noun (or an uncountable noun) and a plural verb — it treats everything as one combined group. Every pairs with a singular noun and a singular verb, even though it's talking about every member — grammatically it acts like it's describing one typical member at a time.
"All students passed." — students is plural, treated as one group.
"Every student passed." — student is singular, but the meaning covers the whole class.
Each: individuals, one by one
Each also takes a singular noun, but it puts the spotlight on individual treatment rather than a general rule — often when order, separate attention, or difference between members matters.
"Each student received individual feedback." — the feedback was different for each person.
"I checked each door separately." — one at a time, not as a group.
Every and each never stand alone before 'of'
Every must be followed by a noun or by one — it can never sit directly before of. Say every one of them, not every of them. Each is more flexible: it can stand alone, be followed directly by of, or come right before a noun.
"Every one of the guests arrived on time." — never "every of the guests."
"Each of the guests arrived on time." — each works fine directly before of.
Real English
Watch out
Every always takes a singular noun and a singular verb, never a plural one.
Every can't sit directly before of — insert one, or switch to each of.
All needs a plural noun (or uncountable noun) paired with a plural verb.
Each, just like every, takes a singular noun — the individual focus doesn't change that rule.
Real life — Handing out worksheets in class
"Can you make sure every student gets a copy?"
"Sure — I'll go around and give each one their own sheet."
"Great, and check that all the answer keys are stapled correctly."
"Will do — I'll look at each packet before I hand it out."
Practice
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct sentence
Which is grammatically correct?
Exercise 2 · Choose the correct sentence
Which is grammatically correct?
Exercise 3 · Choose the correct word
___ day, she goes for a run before work.
Exercise 4 · Choose the correct word
I checked ___ door in the house individually to make sure they were locked.
Exercise 5 · Choose the correct word
___ of the students passed the exam.
Exercise 6 · Fix the mistake
Fix the mistake:
Exercise 7 · Choose the correct word
___ water on Earth is connected in the water cycle.
Exercise 8 · Complete the sentence
Complete: ___ of us has a role to play. (singular focus, one word)
Exercise 9 · Complete the sentence
Complete: ___ single person in the room turned to look. (one word)
Exercise 10 · Build the sentence
Exercise 11 · Choose the matching sentence
Which sentence emphasizes checking one by one, individually?
Quick challenge
Five quick questions to check what stuck.
Question 1 / 5
Score: 0/0
Which is correct?
You learned
- All + plural/uncountable noun + plural verb: treats the group as one whole.
- Every + singular noun + singular verb: a generalization covering every member.
- Each + singular noun: individuals, treated one by one, often with a sense of separate attention.
- Every can't sit directly before 'of' — say 'every one of them,' not 'every of them.'
- Each is more flexible: it can stand alone, come before 'of,' or come right before a noun.
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