Determiners (all, both, neither, either, none)

When you talk about a group of people or things, English has a small set of words that let you say exactly how much of the group you mean: all of it, none of it, or just some. Getting these right is what makes the difference between a vague sentence and a precise one.

The quick shortcut. All = every member, positive. None = not a single member, negative. When the group is exactly two, both and neither are usually the clearest choices — both, either and neither covers those in full. This article looks at all and none in detail, how they connect to both/neither, and a precision trap that catches even confident speakers.

All: the whole group

All says something is true for every member of a group, with no exceptions:

• All students must register by Friday. (every student)
• I've read all these books.
• She speaks all three languages fluently.

All works directly before a plural noun (all students) or an uncountable noun (all information) — no of needed. But once you replace the noun with a determiner (the, my, these…) or a pronoun (them, us), of appears:

• All the students passed. — not ❌ all of students
• All of my friends live abroad.
• All of them were late.

Before the, my, these and similar words, of is optional — ✅ all the students and ✅ all of the students are both standard, in British and American English alike, and mean the same thing. Before a bare pronoun, of is required: ✅ all of them, not standard English ❌ all them.

Like both (see the linked article above), all can also move away from the noun and sit next to the verb — after the subject, after be, or after the first auxiliary/modal verb:

• We all enjoyed the trip.
• They are all ready.
• We have all finished. / They can all come.
• I've invited them all. / I've invited all of them. — both positions work here.

Verb agreement follows the noun, not the word all itself: ✅ All the books are here (plural noun → plural verb), but ✅ All the information is here (uncountable noun → singular verb).

None: not a single one

None is the negative mirror of all — it says something is true for zero members of the group:

• None of the students passed. (not one student passed)
• None of us knew the answer.
• "How many are left?" — "None."

Unlike all, none always needs of when a noun or pronoun follows — there's no bare "none students": ✅ none of the students, never ❌ none students. If you want a determiner-free version before a plain noun, use no instead:

• No students passed. = None of the students passed.

No sits directly before the noun with no of; none is used alone, or with of + the/my/… + noun/pronoun. They express the same idea, just with different grammar.

Verb agreement with none of + a plural noun/pronoun is a genuinely split case. Traditionally, none (= "not one") takes a singular verb: None of them is ready. In everyday English, though, a plural verb is extremely common and fully accepted: None of them are ready. Both are correct — the singular is the more formal/traditional choice. With an uncountable noun, only the singular is possible: None of the information is useful (not ❌ are useful).

The precision trap: not all vs none

This is where careless phrasing can genuinely confuse a listener. Compare:

• Not all of the students passed. → at least one didn't pass — in normal use, this often suggests some did pass too (a partial negative)
• None of the students passed. → nobody passed at all (a total negative)

Now look at this sentence, which learners often produce by simply adding not to the main verb instead of to all:

• ⚠️ All of the students didn't pass.

This is genuinely ambiguous: some listeners take it as not all (= at least some passed), others take it as none (= nobody passed) — context and intonation decide, and a reader can't always tell which one you mean. Putting not in front of the group word instead removes the ambiguity:

• ✅ Not all of the students passed. (clearly partial)
• ✅ None of the students passed. (clearly total)

The same trap appears with both: ⚠️ Both of them didn't come can be read as "neither came" or as "the two of them didn't come together" (perhaps one came alone). For an exact meaning, be explicit: ✅ Neither of them came (nobody came) or ✅ Only one of them came.

A useful habit for precision: for a total negative, reach for none / neither directly. For a partial negative, put not before all / both, rather than putting the negative on the main verb.

Two members vs three or more

The same all/none logic exists for exactly two people or things — it just uses different words. Both is the two-member version of all; neither is the two-member version of none; either is the two-member version of "any one, it doesn't matter which." The both, either, neither article covers these three in depth, but here's how the whole family lines up:

A common slip is using either/neither when there are actually three or more options — in careful standard English, those two words are for exactly two, and any/none are the safer choice once there are more:

• ❌ Neither of the three answers is correct. → ✅ None of the three answers is correct.
• ❌ You can choose either of the three colours. → ✅ You can choose any of the three colours.

Common mistakes

• ❌ All of book are good. → ✅ All of the books are good. (of needs a determiner or pronoun after it, not a bare noun)
• ❌ None students came. → ✅ None of the students came. / ✅ No students came. (before a following noun/pronoun, none needs of; no goes directly before the noun instead)
• ❌ Neither of the three books is mine. → ✅ None of the three books is mine. (neither is for exactly two)
• ⚠️ All of them didn't call. (ambiguous) → ✅ Not all of them called. (some did) or ✅ None of them called. (nobody did) — say precisely which one you mean.

Quick check

Choose the correct option:

1. ____ of the five candidates was on time. (Neither / None)
2. I've checked all the reports and, honestly, ____ of them is/are perfect — every one has a small issue. (all / none)
3. "How many messages are unread?" "____ — I read them all this morning." (None / All)
4. You mean nobody passed, or just not everybody? Say it precisely: "____ of the students passed" for nobody, "____ of the students passed" for not everybody.
5. ____ of the twins looks like their mother — they both take after their father. (Either / Neither)

Key takeaways

• All = every member of a group (three or more), positive; needs of before a determiner/pronoun (all of the, all of us) but not before a plain noun (all students).
• None = not a single member, negative; always needs of when a noun/pronoun follows (none of them), or use no directly before a plain noun instead.
• For exactly two members, both (positive) and neither (negative) are usually the clearest choices; in careful standard English, keep either/neither for exactly two, and reach for any/none once there are three or more.
• Not all/not both = a partial negative (some, but not every one); none/neither = a total negative (not a single one). Saying "All of them didn't…" is genuinely ambiguous between the two — choose the precise form instead.
• With a plural noun/pronoun, none of can take a singular or plural verb (the singular is more formal); with an uncountable noun, only the singular is possible.