Everyone vs. Every One How to Choose the Right Word

Everyone and every one have similar roles to play in the English language, but these roles arent exactly the same. Everyone always refers to human beings, while every one could refer to the members of a group of any type of thing. How to Use Everyone The word everyone is an indefinite pronoun. That is to say, it is a pronoun that refers to an indefinite group of people. Everyone (one word) is a synonym for everybody (although everybody is slightly less formal), and it means all the people, every person, as in Sooner or later, everyone goes to the zoo. Everyone always refers to people, to humans, or to humanity in general. How to Use Every One The phrase every one (which combines a modifier and a noun) is more explicit, referring to each individual or thing in a particular group, as in Every one of our friends has gone to the zoo. Every one is usually followed by the preposition of. In practice, every one is a near synonym of each one of a set, so it does not necessarily refer to people at all; therefore, you must state who or what you are referring to. Examples If youre referring to human beings, your choice of everyone versus every one is a question of intent. If you mean to make a generalization that means every person, use everyone. Everyone loves potatoes and Everyone in the cafeteria loves potatoes are general statements.Everybody Loves Raymond was a popular television show, but not everyone liked it. If you wish to be specific or emphatic, use every one and be sure to state who one refers to. Every one of the students in the cafeteria loves potatoes defines who one refers to.God bless us, every one! spoken by Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, is a blessing specific to us. If he had omitted the us, Dickens would have to have written God bless everyone or God bless every one of us, neither of which is as memorable as the original. On the other hand, if you are referring to nonhuman objects, always use every one, as in Every one of those potatoes is rotten.Ive counted every one of those chairs, and I know there is not enough seating for everyone whos coming. In this case, every one could be replaced by each, but every one is more emphatic. How to Remember the Difference Everyone always refers to people. Every one, on the other hand, is a synonym of each and can refer to people or anything else, living or not. You cant use each in a sentence without identifying who or what each refers to, and the same is true of every one. Sources Every One; Everyone.  The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed., University of Chicago Press, 2010, p. 280.Everyone | Definition of Everyone in English by Oxford Dictionaries.  Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries.