Advanced determiners and reference

Determiners help readers identify how many people or things you mean and whether they belong to a known group. In C1 writing, choices such as each, every, either, neither, another and the other matter because a small change can alter the size and identity of the set.

Each and every: individuals and complete groups

Both words work with a singular countable noun and a singular verb:

Each applicant has a separate reference number.
Every applicant has a separate reference number.

Each directs attention to members one by one. Every presents the whole group and suggests that the statement applies without exception. The contrast is one of focus, not always a major difference in practical meaning.

After each of, use a plural noun or pronoun, but the verb is traditionally singular in formal English: Each of the reports is numbered; each of them has a date. Every does not normally take of directly: say every report or every one of the reports, not ~~every of the reports~~. In every one of the reports, the head is singular one, so use is.

Two alternatives: either and neither

Either route is suitable means one or the other of two routes will work. Neither route is suitable means not one and not the other. In formal prose, the verb after either/neither of + plural noun is often singular: Neither of the proposals is ready. Plural agreement is also common in informal speech, especially with neither, so do not assume every heard plural is a communication failure.

The choice is limited to two in the classic distinction. For a larger set, use any for one or more possibilities and none for zero: Any of the five rooms can be used; none of the rooms is available.

Another, other and the other

Imagine three applications. You have read one and need to choose a second:

another application means an additional one, without specifying which;
the other application points to the single remaining one in a set of two;
other applications means additional applications generally;
the others means the remaining people or things when the noun is omitted.

We reviewed one proposal on Monday and another on Tuesday.
There are two copies; I have one and the other is in the folder.
Some files were complete; the others needed signatures.

Another combines an + other, so it normally takes a singular countable noun. With an uncountable noun, use a unit phrase: another piece of information, not ~~another information~~. Before plural nouns, use other: other options.

All, both and the scope of not

All the documents refers to a known set. All documents can make a general statement. Every document views the set member by member. Both proposals applies to two; all three proposals applies to three or more.

Negation changes the meaning sharply:

Not every applicant was accepted. At least one was not; others may have been.
No applicant was accepted. Zero applicants were accepted.
Not all of the evidence is conclusive. Some evidence may still be conclusive.

A phrase such as not everyone means “not every person”, not “no one”. Always check whether not negates the whole set or merely says that the universal statement is not true.

All of, both of and determiner order

Before a noun, all and both can appear with or without of:

All the participants received a code.
All of the participants received a code.
Both proposals are viable.
Both of the proposals are viable.

With a personal pronoun, use of: all of them, both of us. With a noun phrase, of is optional in many cases; the version without of is usually more concise. Do not put of directly before a noun without a determiner or pronoun in this pattern: ~~all of participants~~; write all participants or all of the participants.

Determiners also have an order. Words such as all, both, half can precede a possessive, article or demonstrative: all my notes, both the doors, half an hour, all of those options. Avoid piling up incompatible determiners: ~~the every participant~~. The article or possessive already identifies the noun, so every cannot normally sit before it.

Paired alternatives

Either ... or and neither ... nor connect two parallel choices:

Either the editor or the publisher will contact you.
Neither the date nor the venue has been confirmed.

In formal editing, parallel elements should have the same grammatical shape: either to revise the plan or to withdraw it, not ~~either to revise the plan or withdrawing it~~. With a compound subject, agreement conventions can vary; many speakers match the verb to the nearer noun, especially when the nouns differ in number. To avoid an awkward choice, rewrite: The editor will contact you, or the publisher will.

Determiners are small, but they define the set that a claim includes. If a sentence says both proposals, there are two; if it says all proposals, the relevant group may be larger. Before finalising a sentence, ask whether your reader can identify the group and whether your quantifier includes every member you intend.