B1–B2
All and All of
Learn when to use 'all', 'all the', 'all of the', and 'all of them' — and why word order (all the books, not the all books) matters. 10 exercises.
All and All of in English
'All' is one of the most flexible quantifiers in English, but its structural rules — when 'of' is required, where 'all' sits relative to 'the', and how it differs from 'every' — generate consistent errors at B1–B2 level. Analysis of the International Corpus of Learner English (ICLE) shows that 'all of students', 'the all books', and 'all of them are' (with wrong agreement) are among the twenty most frequent quantifier errors at intermediate level.
General vs Specific: The Core Distinction
All children need encouragement. (children in general — no 'the', no 'of')
All the children in my class passed. (specific group — 'all' + 'the' + noun)
All of the children in my class passed. (= 'all the children' — interchangeable)
All of them passed. ('of' required before pronouns)
All the children in my class passed. (specific group — 'all' + 'the' + noun)
All of the children in my class passed. (= 'all the children' — interchangeable)
All of them passed. ('of' required before pronouns)
Word Order: All Before The
'All' always precedes 'the' — never after it:
✓ I read all the instructions. (correct order)
✗ I read the all instructions. (wrong — 'all' must come first)
✗ I read the all instructions. (wrong — 'all' must come first)
Common Mistakes
✗ All of students should register. → ✓ All students should register. (general — no 'of')
✗ I have read the all books on the list. → ✓ I have read all the books on the list.
✗ I have read the all books on the list. → ✓ I have read all the books on the list.