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Use of every

Every is a determiner. It is normally used before a singular noun.

• I have read every book on that shelf. (NOT … every books …)

Every refers to all or each one of a group without exception.

• Every boy in the class passed the test.
• He enjoyed every minute of his holiday.

Every and every one of

We use every one of before an object pronoun (us, them) or a determiner (the, this, my). The pronoun or noun is plural, but a following verb is singular.

• Every one of us wants to go.
• Every one of the children was crying.

Not every

To negate every, we normally use not every.

• Not every kind of bird can fly. (More natural than Every kind of bird cannot fly.)
• Not everybody was amused.

A pronoun or a possessive referring back to every can usually be either singular (more formal) or plural (less formal).

• Every one of them was told to bring his/her/their textbooks.

Every with plural nouns

Every can be used to indicate regular intervals of space and time. It is then followed by a plural noun.

• Buses run every ten minutes. (That is six per hour)
• Plant trees every twenty yards.

Each and every

Each is used to talk about two or more persons or things. It refers to the individual members of a group when their number is definite and limited.

• She had a child holding on to each hand. (NOT … every hand.)
• Each of the six boys was given a prize.

Every is used to talk about more than two persons or things. It refers to the whole group.

• Every chair in the hall was occupied.
• Every action of his has some motive behind it.