"All" or "All Of"?

Using "All Of" and "All"

Here is some guidance on whether to use "all of" or just "all."

All Of

Use "all of" before words like "us," "you," "it," "him," and "her." (These are called personal pronouns.) For example:
  • All of us know the secret. correct tick
  • All of them think they're special. correct tick
  • All of you are welcome. correct tick
Use "all of" before words like "which," "whom," and "whose." (These are called relative pronouns.) For example:
  • I know 4 Italians, all of whom think they're great singers. correct tick
  • She has 3 dogs, all of which greet her when she gets home. correct tick

All

Use "all" before words like "the," "this," "my." (These are types of determiner). For example:
  • Where has all the cheese gone? correct tick
  • All these soldiers are field medics. correct tick
  • I have known her all my life. correct tick
Use "all" before nouns that are not preceded with a determiner. For example:
  • Joan said that all women were odd. correct tick
  • All students are invited to the job market. correct tick
  • All life has vanished from the reef. correct tick
all or all of?

The Grammar of "All"

"All" As a Determiner before a Noun

When used by itself before a noun, "all" is classified as a determiner. For example:
  • all men correct tick
  • all folk correct tick
When used like this, "all of" is not an option.

"All" As a Predeterminer

When "all" is used before a determiner (e.g., "the," "this," "his"), it is classified as a predeterminer. For example:
  • all the students correct tick
  • all my time correct tick
When used like this, "all of" is usually an option too. However, "all" is preferable to using "all of" because it reduces your wordcount by one word. Nevertheless, if you cannot bear how "all" by itself sounds, you can use "all of."
  • all of the students correct tick
  • all of my time correct tick

"All" As a Determiner before a Pronoun

Using "all" as a determiner before a personal pronoun is usually wrong. For example:
  • all we wrong cross
  • all they wrong cross
Look at these fuller examples:
  • All we believe.
  • (This sentence is correct, but native English speakers would interpret this as "everything we believe" and not "everybody believes.")
  • All they are thinking.
  • (This sentence is correct, but native English speakers would interpret this as "everything they are thinking" and not "they all are thinking.")

The Grammar of "All Of"

"All" As an Indefinite Pronoun before a Determiner

The "all" in "all of" is classified as an indefinite pronoun. It is perfectly acceptable to use "all of" before a determiner. For example:
  • all of the men correct tick
  • all of those students correct tick
  • all of the men correct tick
  • all of his issues correct tick
Using "all" reduces your wordcount by a word. Therefore, it is preferred to "all of."

"All" As an Indefinite Pronoun before a Personal Pronoun

Use "all of" before a personal pronoun. For example:
  • All of us believe. correct tick
  • All of them are thinking. correct tick
Note that the personal pronouns are in the objective case. (This just means that "we" has become "us" and "they" has become "them.")

"All" As an Indefinite Pronoun before a Relative Pronoun

Use "all of" with relative pronouns (e.g., "whom," "which"). For example:
  • I have three sisters, all of whom lead very normal lives. correct tick (Politician Jane Byrne)
  • He trained over 20 mares, all of which won more prize money in their first season than they cost. correct tick
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This page was written by Craig Shrives.