eslHQ Home
User Name Password
Lost Password? | Join eslHQ.com, it's FREE!
View today's posts
Search Extras Help   

 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
  #2 (permalink)  
Unread Jun 30th, 2010, 01:34 pm
Sue
 
Join Date: Oct 8th, 2006
Location: Milan
Posts: 1,406
susan53 is on a distinguished road
Default Re: all vs everything

These words are horribly complex, so don't worry if they confuse you. Looking at the grammar books always makes me think they've been forced into grammatical categories that they don't really fit. But anyway ...

Everything is usually classed as a pronoun - to be more precise a quantifying pronoun. Which puzzles me, as if by chance the language had decided to write it as two words - every thing - it would be a quantifier + noun. But there you go ...

Anyway, let's see it as a pronoun. That means it can fit into either subject or object position :
Everything is OK. / I didn't finish everything
(or, as in your example : He couldn't provide her with everything she needed.)

It's a pronoun because it's substituting for other understood items :

I had to clean the kitchen, make the beds, hoover the carpets and do the washing. but I only had half an hour and I didn't finish everything.

Everything substitutes for clean the kitchen, make the beds, hoover the carpets and do the washing

All on the other hand is a quantifier which can have various grammatical functions :

- Adverb : used to modify a preposition (all over, all round, all through etc) or adjective (all dirty, all right) etc : He painted all through the night / He got all dirty.
- Determiner : All the people cheered./ I don't like all his books
- Pronoun, as in your example : He couldn't provide her with all she needed

Even in the last example though, it makes more sense to me to think of all as really being a determiner with the noun phrase elided (or omitted) - ie :He couldn't provide her with all (the things) she needed.
__________________
An ELT Notebook
The DELTA Course

Last edited by susan53 : Jul 2nd, 2010 at 04:09 am.
Reply With Quote
 


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Find the Best TEFL, TESL, TESOL & CELTA Certification Courses - User Submitted Ratings & Reviews for Online, Distance & Abroad TEFL Courses. Over 3,500 reviews of 100+ TEFL schools!

Teach English in Thailand - Onsite and Combined TEFL certification courses in Phuket, Thailand.


Free ESL Flashcards




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:05 pm.

All materials from this website are for classroom-use only. Digital redistribution of materials, in part or in whole, is strictly forbidden!

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2