You use each in front of the singular form of a countable noun to talk about every person or thing in a group. You use each rather than 'every' when you are thinking about the members of a group as individuals.
Instead of using 'each', you can sometimes use each of. For example, instead of saying 'Each soldier was given a new uniform', you can say 'Each of the soldiers was given a new uniform'. Each of is followed by a determiner and the plural form of a countable noun.
You also use each of in front of plural pronouns.
When you use each of in front of a plural noun or pronoun, you use a singular form of a verb after the noun or pronoun.
Be Careful!
You never use each without of in front of a plural noun or pronoun. Don't say, for example, 'Each cases was carefully locked'.
Be Careful!
Don't use words such as 'almost', 'nearly', or 'not' in front of each. Don't say, for example, 'Almost each house in the street is for sale'. You say 'Almost every house in the street is for sale'.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'each' or 'each of' in a negative clause. Don't say, for example, 'Each boy did not enjoy football' or 'Each of the boys did not enjoy football'. You say 'None of the boys enjoyed football'.
You usually use a singular pronoun such as he, she, him, or her to refer back to an expression containing each.
However, when you are referring back to an expression such as each person or each student which does not indicate a specific sex, you usually use a form of they.
Adj. | 1. | each - (used of count nouns) every one considered individually; "each person is mortal"; "each party is welcome" all - quantifier; used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class; "we sat up all night"; "ate all the food"; "all men are mortal"; "all parties are welcome" |
Adv. | 1. | ![]() |