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hello everybody,why can I say "all of my friends like watching tv" (as well as "all my friends like watching tv), but I can't say "all of  sugar is sweet" ( and I have to say " all sugar is sweet")? what's the difference between these two ways of using of the word "all"?thank you in advance!

Tarirotari · Accepted Answer

Because "all of" is just used before plural nouns, and "sugar" is a non-countable noun, so singular.

all of + plural
all + plural

all + singular

Sam1947 · Answer

In the first when you reference friends, you are speaking of multiple friends. In the sentence with sugar, presumably, you are speaking of one category...sugar.

You could say, "All of the various forms of sugar are sweet," if you were speaking of cane sugar, sugar from corn, sugar from fruit, etc. But, if you are using sugar as a single category and not distinguishing the different types, you don't need the "of" , ergo, "All sugar is sweet."

Irresistable_poison · Answer

you can't say.because when you say that all of sugar is sweet,it means that sugar is thing that can be countable,but it isnt countable.so you can't say this

CalifJim · Answer

macriswhy can I say "all of my friends like watching tv" (as well as "all my friends like watching tv), but I can't say "all of sugar is sweet" ( and I have to say " all sugar is sweet")?

You are comparing the wrong things.

All of friends like watching TV is also wrong, just like All of sugar is sweet is wrong.

After all of you need a determiner (a, an, this, that, the, my, your, ...)

All of my friends, all of my sugar, all of the friends, all of the sugar, ... These are correct.

All of friends, all of sugar, all of cats, all of vinegar, ... These are not correct.

CJ

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