plural group + all

All After a Plural Topic

Level 4

First identify the group; then read what all says about its members.

How It Works

Including the Group
All can appear after a plural subject, as in My cousins all coming. It means that the statement includes the whole relevant group. This position also exists in shared English.

Topic and Subject Can Differ
In That stall, the drinks all cold., the stall is the topic, but all concerns the drinks. It does not say that there are several stalls.

Read the Intended Group
The relevant group is fixed by context. They all coming. means all of the people under discussion, not everyone in the world. A different position can create a different phrase, as with all day.

Examples (3)

  1. My cousins all coming on Saturday.

    All of my cousins are coming on Saturday.

    All includes the members of the cousin group being discussed.

  2. That stall, the drinks all cold.

    At that stall, all the drinks are cold.

    The stall is the topic; the drinks are the group described by all.

  3. These tickets all for tonight.

    All these tickets are for tonight.

    All concerns the tickets, not every night.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

plural group + allLevel 4All After a Plural Topic

Learn This First

Track the plural group in the comment before interpreting all as including its members; that group need not be the topic.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.