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Each vs. Every

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Common mistakes

1. (NG) He has a bottle of water in every hand.
   1. (OK) He has a bottle of water in each hand.
2. (NG) The bus comes each ten minutes.
   1. (OK) The bus comes every ten minutes.

Grammar words and phrases in context

Jenny works hard every day, just like every person in her company. She has two computers on her desk and each one has a different purpose. For her health, she makes it a point to get up from her desk every 30 minutes for a quick break.

In many general situations, we use each and every with the same meaning. This is most common when we talk about time.

1. Jack works hard each day.
2. Jack works hard every day.
3. Each year, we get older and wiser.
4. Every year, we get older and wiser.

That said, we tend to use each when we think of things individually or separately.

There may be a group of things or people, and we use each when we think about them on an individual basis.

1. Each pen has the company logo on it. This means, the pens one by one have the company logo.
2. Each student will have an opportunity to talk to the teacher. This means the students one by one can talk to the teacher.

However, we tend to use every when we think of things as part of a group, similar to the way we use all.

1. Every person on the tour receives a map and a rain hat.
2. Every guest at the party had fun.

We also use each, and not every, when we talk about two things.

1. Jim has a bottle of water in each hand.
2. Married life is sometimes not easy. Each person needs to compromise sometimes.

We also use each, and not every, before the preposition of.

1. Each of these pens has the company logo on it.
2. Each of you should follow me.

We use every when we talk about clock time.

1. The bus comes every hour.
2. Every ten minutes the phone rang.

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