ALL (1)

Good morning. I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Over the last 15 years or so, I have had A LOT of conversations with English students and, like many English teachers, I have become a sort of "expert" on the typical errors that students make while learning English. (So much so that I often catch myself repeating these errors when I speak to friends and family!) One type of "error" that has been bothering me over the last few days is the direct translation of the Spanish words todo or todos as ALL in phrases like these: 1) All the people 2) All the days 3) All the things 4) All the day Although these combinations are not exactly incorrect, my students often use them in contexts where native speakers do not normally use ALL. I will go over the "normal" uses of ALL over the next few days. Today, I want to look at how to better express phrases 1-4 above. Phrase 1: All the people We normally say EVERYBODY or EVERYONE Example: Everybody says they want to learn English, but not everyone does what is necessary to learn it (i.e., make English a part of their daily routine). Phrase 2: All the days We normally say EVERY DAY Example: I try to go to the gym every day, but sometimes I'm too busy. Phrase 3: All the things We normally say EVERYTHING Example: Sometimes I have the impression that everything we eat causes cancer. Phrase 4: All the day We normally say THE WHOLE DAY or ALL DAY Example: I have been working the whole day without a break; I didn't even have time for lunch. If you have any questions about today's Daily Vitamin, you can post them in the Daily Vitamin Plus! section on our website. If you have any questions about how to use the Daily Vitamin Plus! section, or if you would like to suggest a topic for a future Daily Vitamin, please send us an email to vitamin@ziggurat.es. Have a great day!