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What Are Distributives?
Distributives are words or phrases that are used to refer to individual members of a group or to distribute an action or quality across the members of a group and remove the ambiguity involved in the use of universal determiners.
English Distributives
The English distributives are:
Each
'Each' is used as a distributive word with sets of two or more people or things. It distributes a quality among individual members of the group separately. 'Each' can be used as both determiner and pronoun.
Each as a Determiner
As a determiner, 'each' comes before countable singular nouns to emphasize the individuality of each item or person. For example:
Each item was thoroughly checked.
Each student is given his own locker.
I talked to each parent in private.
Each as a Pronoun
We can also use 'each' as a pronoun, where it does not need to be followed by a noun. For example:
We can find something for each.
She bought two dresses; each cost over $100.
Every
'Every' is used to refer to all members of a group of more than two members. Similarly to 'each,' it is always followed by countable, singular nouns. It distributes the action or quality among all members of the group as a whole. Take a look at the examples:
Every student is expected to submit the assignment on time.
Every seat in the theater was full.
Every vs. Each
While they both essentially distribute a quality or action between all members of a group, there are some differences between 'every' and 'each.'
'Each' focuses on individual members of the group while 'every' considers the group as a whole.
She gave each child a toy.
Focus on one-by-one distribution
Every child received a toy.
General statement about all
Unlike 'each,' 'every' cannot be used independently as a pronoun.
Every of the students received a prize.
Each of the students received a prize.
'Every' can be modified by degree adverbs like 'almost' and 'nearly,' while 'each' can't.
Almost every house on the street has a garden.
Almost each town we visited had its own cultural customs.
Review
Distributives are used to refer to a set or group or show that a quality applies to the members of that set or group. There are two distributives in English:
each: used with groups that consist of two or more members
every: used with groups that consist of more than two members
Quiz:
Which sentence does not use "each" as a determiner?
The teacher gave each student a participation certificate.
We interviewed all candidates and sent feedback to each.
Each participant received a medal.
She interviewed each candidate personally.
Which sentence correctly uses a distributive determiner?
Every of the employees received a bonus.
Each children were given a gift.
Every team member completed their task.
Five people attended the meeting and each contributed some ideas.
Complete each sentence with the correct distributive determiner.
cookie was decorated differently.
time I visit, the café is crowded.
employee must wear their ID badge at work.
The manager spoke to
customer personally.
child in the class passed the exam.
Fill the table by choosing whether the description applies to "Each" or "Every."
Three or more members | |
Focus on individual members | |
Can be used as a pronoun | |
Can be modified by adverbs |
Sort the words to form a correct sentence.
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