Both, all; each, every; either, neither

Test it, Fix it. English grammar - Kenna Bourke 2003

Both, all; each, every; either, neither

Test it

1 Choose the best option.

a I've met Steve twice. Every/Each time he's been quite rude to me.

b Each student/students bought a dictionary and a grammar book.

c All/Both Jupiter and Mars are planets.

d Kate doesn't like either/neither of the books we gave her.

e Dogs, cats, rabbits - Jimmy loves both/all of them.

f Some people can't eat nuts and some can't eat wheat either/neither.

g I've seen this film at least ten times. I like it more every times/time.

h Every/Each parking space in the town was full so we went home.

i Both of the child/children got ten out of ten in their tests.

j There were about fifty people at the party and they were both/all dancing.

2 Complete the sentences. Use both, all, each, every, either or neither.

a ... of my kids go to the same school. Theo is in Class 3 and Rosie is in Class 1.

b My husband likes peaches and I like apricots, but ... of us likes plums.

c ... boy in the class passed the exam.

d Sheila read two books by Martin Amis but she didn't enjoy ... of them.

e ... animals need water in order to live.

f Mary had two bridesmaids at her wedding ... girl carried a bouquet of roses.

g ... person in the audience stood up and clapped when the play ended.

h ... of Sam's two children likes eggs.

I Shall I buy the red one or the blue one? I really like them ... .

j ..., members of the leisure club must carry their membership cards.

Test it again

1 Choose the best option A or В

a Lobsters, crabs, oysters, mussels - they're ... delicious!

A all

В both

b ... man admitted burgling the flat.

A Both

В Neither

c ... suspects denied being in the area.

A Neither

В Both

d Charlie looks happier and happier every ... .

A day

В days

e I've enjoyed ... holiday I've ever been on.

A each

В every

f Daniel could live in Paris or London but he doesn't like ... of them.

A neither

В either

g Each of the ... we stayed in had a swimming pool.

A hotels

В hotel

h 'Coffee or tea?' 'I don’t mind - I'll have ... . '

A neither

В either

i ... of you like pasta, don't you?

A Every

В All

j ... of us go to the gym three times a week.

A Every of us

В Both of us

2 Write new sentences with similar meanings. Use both, all, every, either or neither.

a He likes the Porsche and the Ferrari.

He likes ... cars.

b Tom doesn't read The Times or The Sun.

Tom doesn't read ... of those newspapers.

c Lucy forgot her English book, her Maths book and her History book.

Lucy forgot ... her books.

d We invited Beth and Judy to dinner but they didn't come.

We invited Beth and Judy but ... of them came.

e He wears a different tie on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,

Thursday and Friday.

He wears a different the ... day of the week.

Fix it

Answers to Test it

Check your answers. Wrong answer?

Read the right Fix it note to find out why.F

1 a Each → C, D

 b student → C

 c Both → A

 d either → E

 e all → B

 f either → E

 g time → D

 h Every → D

 i children → F

 j all → B

2 a Both → F

 b neither → F

 c Every → D

 d either → F, E

 e All → B

 f Each → C

 g Every → D

 h Neither → F, E

 i both → A

 j All → B

Now go to page 59. Test yourself again.

Answers to Test again

1 a A b B c B d A e B

 f B g A h B i B j B

2 a both

 b either

 c all

 d neither

 e every

Fix it notes

A

Use both to talk about two things when you mean one thing and the other thing.

В

Use all to talk about three or more things. Use all with a plural noun or pronoun.

C

Use each when you're talking about two or more things. Put it before a singular noun.

D

Use every when you're talking about three or more things. Put it before a singular noun.

E

Use either in negative sentences.

Use neither in positive sentences.

F

Use both of, each of, either of, and neither of before a plural noun or pronoun.

Review

Both, all; each, every; either, neither

• Use both to talk about two things when you mean one thing and the other thing.

Both Algeria and Morocco are in North Africa.

Both my children like fish.

• You use all with a plural noun or pronoun to talk about three or more things.

All living things need oxygen.

All my friends are wonderful.

You're all crazy!

• You use each when you're talking about two or more things. It goes before a singular noun.

Each time I've seen him, he's been very kind to me. (I’ve seen him at least twice.)

Pete's decided to go running each day for a week.

• You use every to talk about three or more things. It goes before a singular noun.

Every letter you write is beautiful!

Paula wins the competition every year.

Note: Often you can use each or every without changing the meaning of the sentence.

I love you more each/every day.

As a general rule to help you decide which to use, you usually use each when you're thinking of things separately. You use every when you're thinking of things as a group.

• You use both of, each of, either of, and neither of before a plural noun or before a pronoun.

'Which do you prefer?' 'I like both of them.'

There were two small dogs. Each of the dogs was wearing a red collar.