As a linguistic expert with a deep understanding of the English language, I'm here to provide you with a detailed explanation about the use of the word "all" as a singular or plural noun. The classification of "all" can be quite nuanced and depends on the context in which it is used.
Firstly, it's important to understand that "all" can function as a pronoun, an adjective, or an adverb. When used as a pronoun, "all" can refer to the entirety of a group or collection of things, which can be either singular or plural depending on what it is referring to. The key is to identify the noun that "all" is replacing or modifying.

Let's consider some examples to illustrate this:


1. All of the water has been consumed. (Here, "all" refers to the entirety of the water, which is a singular noun.)

2. All of the students have passed the exam. (In this case, "all" refers to every student, which is a plural noun.)

It's also worth noting that "all" can be used with collective nouns, which can sometimes be tricky to determine whether they are singular or plural. Collective nouns name a group and can be treated as singular when the group is considered as a unit, or plural when the individuals within the group are emphasized.


1. All of the team was present. (Here, "team" is treated as a single unit, so "all" is singular.)

2. All of the team were arguing. (In this context, the focus is on the individual members of the team, so "all" is plural.)

When "all" is used as an adjective, it modifies a noun and agrees in number with that noun. For example:

1. All books are on the shelf. (The noun "books" is plural, so "all" is plural here.)
2. All book is on the shelf. (The noun "book" is singular, so "all" is singular.)

Lastly, when "all" is used as an adverb, it typically doesn't change in form and doesn't directly affect the singular or plural nature of the noun it modifies. It's more about the extent or degree of the action.

1. She ate all of the cake. (Here, "all" is an adverb modifying the verb "ate," emphasizing the extent of the action.)

Regarding indefinite pronouns, it's true that pronouns like anybody, somebody, no one, and anyone are generally singular. However, the use of "all" with indefinite pronouns can still vary based on the context:

1. All of anyone's books could be on the shelf. (Here, "all" is modifying "anyone's books," which is plural, even though "anyone" is singular.)

In conclusion, the use of "all" as a singular or plural noun is highly dependent on the context and the noun it is associated with. It's essential to analyze the sentence structure and the intended meaning to determine whether "all" should be treated as singular or plural.

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For indefinite pronouns that can be singular or plural, it depends on what the indefinite pronoun refers to. Correct: All of the people clapped their hands. (Here all refers to newspaper, which is singular.) The pronouns ending with -body or -one such as anybody, somebody, no one, or anyone are singular.read more >>