Meaning & use
all of something
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
the whole of something; every part or member of a group, without exception.
Grammar: Followed by a determiner or pronoun (all of the time, all of them). With a bare plural or uncountable noun, use 'all' alone: all people, all water.
Patterns
- all of the + noun
- all of + pronoun
- all of something
She ate all of the cake by herself.
All of us were surprised by the news.
He spent all of his savings on a new bike.
phrasefixed phrase
used before a singular noun to mean 'the entire' or 'the whole of'.
Grammar: Often interchangeable with 'the whole of', but 'all of' is more common in American English.
Patterns
- all of the + singular noun
All of the morning was foggy, so we stayed inside.
She read all of the book in one day.
Common combinations
- all of a sudden
- All of a sudden, the lights went out.
- all of the time
- He complains all of the time.
- all of us
- All of us agreed with the plan.
- all of it
- I've finished all of it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- the whole of
- More formal and slightly more emphatic; common in British English.
- every one of
- Used only with countable nouns and puts stress on each individual member.
Opposites
Commonly confused: all of something or all?
all of something vs all
'All' can stand alone before a noun (all children), while 'all of' needs a determiner or pronoun (all of the children).
Practice
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Choose one answer.
'All students' is correct because 'all' is used directly before a bare plural noun. 'All of students' is wrong because 'of' requires a determiner like 'the' or a pronoun; 'All of student' is wrong because 'student' is singular and needs a determiner.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “all of something”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.