Every | Every One Of
I have read every book on that shelf. (NOT — every books –)Every refers to all or each one of a group without exception.
- Every boy in the class passed the test.
- He enjoyed every minute of his holiday.
Every and every one of
We use every one of before an object pronoun (us, them) or a determiner (the, this, my). The pronoun or noun is plural, but a following verb is singular.
- Every one of us wants to go.
- Every one of the children was crying.
Not every
To negate every, we normally use not every.
- Not every kind of bird can fly. (More natural than Every kind of bird cannot fly.)
- Not everybody was amused.
A pronoun or a possessive referring back to every can usually be either singular (more formal) or plural (less formal).
- Every one of them was told to bring his/her/their textbooks.
Every with plural nouns
Every can be used to indicate regular intervals of space and time. It is then followed by a plural noun.
- Buses run every ten minutes. (That is six per hour)
- Plant trees every twenty yards.
Each and every
Each is used to talk about two or more persons or things. It refers to the individual members of a group when their number is definite and limited.
- She had a child holding on to each hand. (NOT — every hand.)
- Each of the six boys was given a prize.
Every is used to talk about more than two persons or things. It refers to the whole group.
- Every chair in the hall was occupied.
- Every action of his has some motive behind it.
