Have you ever felt confident using both or all, only to be met with puzzled looks? Let's consider a scenario where two men are unable to lift a heavy box. You might say:
⏩ Both men can't lift that heavy box.
Another scenario could be when you and your friends didn't want the front seats in a cinema. You might say:
⏩ All of us didn't want the front seats.
You may think these sentences are clear and straightforward, but they often leave native English speakers scratching their heads. Why? It is because these constructions create ambiguity — they can mean two completely different things! Let's unravel this common pitfall and learn how native speakers express these ideas clearly.
The Core Problem: Positive Words + Negative Verbs = Confusion
The issue lies in combining inherently positive, inclusive quantifiers — both (meaning 'two people or things together') and all (meaning 'everyone/everything in a group') — directly with a negative verb (can't, didn't, isn't, etc.). This clash creates a logical fog.
Why It's Ambiguous: Two Possible Meanings
1. The Neither or None Meaning (What You Often Intend):
You want to say:
⏩ Neither of the two men can lift that heavy box.
⏩ None of us wanted the front seats.
2. The Not Both or Not All Meaning (The Surprise Interpretation):
The sentences could also mean:
⏩ Not both men can lift that heavy box. (This sounds clumsy. A more natural phrasing would be: It isn't the case that both men can lift that heavy box. So maybe one can?)
⏩ Not all of us wanted the front seats. (This implies that some of us wanted the front seats.)
Native English speakers may instinctively apply the negation before both or all (i.e. not both or not all).
Native Speakers Avoid This Ambiguity
With few exceptions (such as the proverb all that glitters is not gold), native speakers tend to avoid using both + not or all + not when they mean complete negation (neither or none). We rephrase for clarity.
How to Say What You Actually Mean: Clear Alternatives
Here's the golden rule: When you mean complete negation, use neither for two people/things and none for three or more people/things or for uncountable nouns:
❌ Both men can't lift that heavy box.
✅ Neither man can lift that heavy box.
✅ Neither of the men can lift that heavy box.
(Meaning: Man A can't lift it, and Man B can't either.)
❌ Both doors aren't locked.
✅ Neither door is locked.
✅ Neither of the doors is locked.
(Meaning: Both doors are unlocked.)
❌ All of us didn't want the front seats.
✅ None of us wanted the front seats.
(Meaning: Every one of us refused the front seats.)
❌ All the students haven't done their homework.
✅ None of the students has done their homework.
(Meaning: Not a single student has done it.)
❌ All the equipment wasn't stolen.
✅ None of the equipment was stolen.
(Meaning: It's all still there.)
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| Source: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English |
Why Neither and None Are Your Friends
Neither explicitly means 'not one and not the other' of a pair. It signals complete negation for two people or things.
None explicitly means 'not one' or 'not any' of a group of three or more (or an uncountable noun like equipment). It signals complete negation for a group.
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| Source: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English |
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| Source: English Grammar in Use, Fifth Edition |
The Rare Exception: Proverbs and Fixed Phrases
Sentences such as all that glitters is not gold (which can be understood as not everything that glitters is gold) are old, proverbial expressions. They are fixed in the language but are not a model for modern, clear communication. Don't copy this structure!
In Summary: Keep it Clear!
Avoid both + not / all + not when you mean complete negation. Native speakers rarely use it this way because it is confusing. Instead, use neither for two people/things, and none for three or more people/things (or uncountable nouns).
Examples from the Media
Just as my father couldn't readily tell me where he was born, neither of my parents could say exactly where they were from because they'd moved around so much during their childhood, amid conflicts with Japanese forces in the years before and during World War II. —The New York Times (2020)
Neither man was previously known to police, and Radmore said there were no signs of anything amiss in their relationship. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2024)
None of us wants to think about death. But pretending it won't happen may not be the best option. —The Guardian (2025)
"None of our people are surprised by the increased gun violence," McCormack said. —Toronto Sun (2019)
Recommended Further Reading
'Either . . . Or' and 'Neither . . . Nor' — What They Mean, and How to Use Them Correctly
Real-World Examples of Misuse
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| 1. The phrase no meat inside sounds awkward and unnatural, mainly due to the word inside. This preposition is not typically used to describe ingredients in food. A more natural expression would be does not contain meat or simply vegetarian. These clearly indicate the absence of meat in a dish. 2. The word correct can be ambiguous here, as it might imply grammatical correctness rather than factual accuracy regarding the content described. Using true unambiguously indicates factual accuracy, which better suits a true/false test. Additionally, statements is a more appropriate term than sentence(s) when referring to assertions being tested for truth or falsity. 3. The preposition in in the phrase order the food in the menu is incorrect for this context. We say order food from the menu because we select items from a list. 4. On is the correct preposition when referring to items listed on a menu. 5. The original sentence, All Chinese food in the menu is not spicy, could be misinterpreted to mean Not all Chinese food is spicy, suggesting that some dishes might be spicy. To avoid ambiguity, use No Chinese food on the menu is spicy or None of the Chinese food on the menu is spicy. These state unambiguously that all Chinese options are mild. (Source: St. Joseph's Primary School) (Also by the Same School: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7) |
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