All and All Of

The Quick Answer
Use all of before words like us, you, it, him, and her (i.e., pronouns). For example:
  • All of us
For normal nouns, just use all (instead of all of). For example:
  • All the cheese
  • All the soldiers

Using All and All Of

There is often confusion over all and all of. As a very general guideline, use all of when the next word is a pronoun (e.g., us, you, it, him, her). For example:
  • All of us...
  • All of you...
  • All of it...
There is no need to use all of for normal nouns. You can just use all. For example:

  • All the soldiers...
  • All the nurses...
  • I need all of the chairs.
    • (The word chairs is not a pronoun. This is not wrong, but it is not as succinct as all the chairs. The word of does not add anything. It is redundant.)
  • All of the divers returned safely.
    • (The word of is redundant.)

    See Also

    Using All Right or Alright Take a test on All and All Of What are pronouns? What are indefinite adjectives? What are indefinite pronouns?