Uses of All as various parts of speech

In this article, we will see:

• the various ways ‘all’ can function in a sentence.
• the various sentence structures/patterns involving ‘all’
• various use cases of ‘all’, including some dos and don’ts.

All as various parts of speech

‘All’ can function as:

• a pronoun,
• an adjective or
• an adverb.

All of the houses were burnt. (all – pronoun)
All men are born equal. (all – adjective; men - noun)
When I am with you, I forget all about my problems. (all – adverb)

As a pronoun, or as an adjective ‘All’ expresses the entire quantity or extent of a group or thing. As an adverb ‘All’ means completely, or consisting entirely of.

All as a Pronoun

As a pronoun, ‘all’ can work as a subject or as an object, and can have various positions in a sentence. Have a look at the examples given below.

All as the subject

All is quiet outside. (all – pronoun, working as a subject)

All of them are playing squash. (all followed by ‘of’ – pronoun, working as a subject)

Students often commit word-order errors when using ‘all’ as a pronoun, when it is used after the subject of the sentence.

We always use ‘all’:

• before the main verb, and after the modal verb if there is any.
  
  These paintings all belong to Mr. Steven. (pronoun both used after noun or pronoun subject, and before the main verb)
  
  They bought all a book. (incorrect)
  They all bought a book. (correct; ‘all’ used before the main verb bought)
  
  We can all play squash. (pronoun both used after a modal verb)
  
  You all must clean the floor. (incorrect)
  You must all clean the floor. (correct; ‘all’ used after the modal verb must and before the main verb ‘clean’)

• after an auxiliary verb or the first auxiliary verb, if there are more than one verbs in a sentence.
  
  They are all going to run away. (correct; are – auxiliary verb; going – main verb)
  They have all been apprehended. (correct; have – auxiliary verb; been – another auxiliary verb; apprehended – main verb)

Note: The same rules/concepts apply to ‘both’ too.

All as the object

Which candy do you like? I like all.

We like them all. (pronoun both used after main verb and pronoun object)

All of

We can use ‘all of’ in the following patterns:

Pattern 1

All + of + determiner + noun

Do not forget to add the determiner (the, my, this etc.), or else the sentence will be deemed incorrect.

All of scientists claimed that the new discovery is valid. (incorrect – determiner missing)
All of the scientists claimed that the new discovery is valid. (correct; the - determiner; scientists - noun)
All the scientists claimed that the new discovery is valid. (correct; scientists - noun)

Pattern 2

We can also use ‘all of’ in the following pattern:

All + of + plural pronoun

All of us are leaving the town.
Did the guards find all of them?

We also use all with ‘it’ in this pattern. All can also come after ‘it’.
Seems like you have seen all of it. Yes. I have seen it all.

All as an Adjective

As an adjective/determiner, ‘all’ is followed by an uncountable noun or plural countable noun.

All boys are playing outside. (all – adjective; boys - plural countable noun)

All as an Adverb

He is all alone in that big city. (all - adverb)
We were so engrossed in the play, that we forgot all about the cab driver waiting outside. (all - adverb)

Uses of All

We often use ‘all’ in following patterns:

Use 1

Pattern 1: All + uncountable noun or plural countable noun

Here, ‘all’ refers to the group as a concept (rather than referring the members of the group as separate entities).

All meat contains protein. (meat – uncountable noun)
All kids need care. (kids - plural countable noun)

Use 2

Pattern 2: All + (the, my, your, etc.) + uncountable noun or plural countable noun

Thieves stole all the bread. (bread – uncountable noun)
All the bottles were destroyed. (bottles - plural countable noun)

I have been waiting for this moment all my life. (life – uncountable noun)
All my students will be in the assembly soon. (students - plural countable noun)

Use 3

Pattern 3: All (of) + this, that + uncountable noun

Such pattern is often found in questions and exclamations.

Who has created all this mess? (mess - uncountable noun)

Use 4

Pattern 4: All (of) + these, those + plural countable noun

Such pattern is often found in questions and exclamations.

Have a look at all these mistakes! (mistakes - plural countable noun)

All Vs. Both and Half

Difference 1

Both is only used to refer to groups of two.
Both of them are former rugby players.

All can be used for a single unit, or may refer to groups of any size (so it refers to an unspecified number).

All of them are former rugby players.
All of this cake will go to trash.

Though we can use ‘all’ to refer to a group of two, but we prefer ‘both’ in that case.

All of these two students have scored high marks. (incorrect)
Both of these two students have scored high marks. (correct)

Difference 2

With ‘all’ and ‘half’ we can use singular countable nouns, but not with ‘both’

All my room has been painted. (correct; room – singular countable noun)
Half this work will be done by evening. (correct; work – singular countable noun)

Both my room has been painted. (incorrect)
Both my rooms have been painted. (correct; rooms – plural countable noun)

Difference 3

We can use plural countable nouns with all the three – all, both and half. But we cannot use zero article with ‘half’ in such cases (we can use it with all and both).

All trains are late today. (correct; trains – plural countable noun)
Both trains are late today. (correct; trains – plural countable noun)

Half trains are late today. (incorrect)
Half of the trains are late today. (correct; trains – plural countable noun)

Difference 4

With uncountable nouns we can use ‘half’ or ‘all’ but not ‘both’. That is because ‘both’ always refers to two entities.

Half his money was stolen. (correct; money – uncountable noun)
All his money was stolen. (correct; money – uncountable noun)
Both his money was stolen. (incorrect; money – uncountable noun)

Additionally, we cannot use zero article with ‘both’ and ‘half’ in such cases (we can use it with all).

All money was stolen. (correct; money – uncountable noun; we can use zero article with all and uncountable noun)
Half money was stolen. (incorrect; money – uncountable noun)
Both money was stolen. (incorrect; money – uncountable noun)

Difference 5

When used as adjectives/determiners, ‘all’ and ‘both’ can follow the noun/pronoun they modify (but not ‘half’).

The guests all arrived early. (correct; noun - guests)
They both complained. (correct; pronoun - they)

The bread half was eaten. (incorrect; noun - bread)
Half the bread was eaten. (correct; noun - bread)

Every Vs. All / Both

Every and All mean the same, but there are a few differences in the way we use them in sentences.

Difference 1

When we use Every and All, the sentence structure is different.

Every is = All are

Every pet needs care. (pet – singular noun; needs – singular verb)
All pets need care. (pets – plural noun; need – plural verb)

Difference 2

Unlike ‘all’, we do not use ‘every’ just before articles, possessives, demonstratives, or with uncountable nouns

Every the parrots flew away. (incorrect)
All the parrots flew away. (correct)

She likes every music. (incorrect; music – uncountable noun)
She likes all music. (correct)

All of Vs. Whole of

We generally prefer to use - the whole (of) rather than all (of) the, before singular countable nouns.

We won’t be able to stay for all of the day. (less formal)
We won’t be able to stay for the whole day. (more formal)

All of the room was flooded. (less formal)
The whole of the room was flooded. (more formal)

Compare:
All (of the) cities had their power cut off. (i.e. every city in a particular area)
Whole cities were left without power after the tornado. (i.e. some cities were completely affected)

Extra Books and Tools

If you prefer to learn via books, or want some good English Grammar books for reference purposes, you may read this article which enlists some of the books recommended by us.