27/9/17 The Difference between All and Everything
All can mean everything, but usually only in the structure all + relative clause (all that…). Compare:
- All (that) I have is yours.
- Everything is yours. (NOT
All is yours.) - She lost all she owned.
- She lost everything. (NOT
She lost all.)
This structure often has a rather negative meaning, expressing ideas like “nothing more” or “the only thing(s)”.
- This is all I’ve got.
- All I want is a place to sit down.
- All that happened is that he went to sleep.
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